Neon Mists

Hey no explosions!

"Yea let's go it's not that far off campus so it's not too much of a walk." After Briefly and subtly checking to see if he or anything nearby was on fire he started walking with her. 'So I guess compassionate moments don't really cause the explosions, it seems to be purely when she's excited by something.' He began compiling a list of mental notes.

Renee unconsciously walked closer to Liam. She kept her head down most of the time, concentrating on calming her heart and trying to not be giddy. Her mind started to wander as she walked. Liam was an interesting boy. He wasnt put off by the random explosions, he didnt sneer at her or call her a freak the whole time. He even asked her out!

Ren's brow suddenly furrowed in worry. But what if he was only doing it on a dare? What if someone put him up to 'taking the freak out' and pranking her horribly later? She gulped, but decided to continue. After a while of walking, they came up to a rather unimposing building. Renee looked up and saw the pizza sign.

"Is this the place?"

"Well here we are" Liam looked up at the neon Pizza sign. It was kinda clever, in the shape of a pizza the lights would blink would as if people were taking slices out of it then light up all anew. It made him hungry just looking at it, damn good sign design if he had to comment on it.

The place was called "Slice Attack" Weirdest fucking name he'd ever heard of but whatever.

the inside was a bit dark but passable, and the smell of pizza and beer was everywhere. Tables with cheesy red and white checked table cloths gave the place an old Italian feel and the dark wood tables and booths made it feel classy.

A Hostess stood smiling with menus in her arms as the two walked in, "Hey how's it going!" She opened up friendly, "Table for two?" she bolted out practiced and raring to get these customers out of the way.

"Uh, yeah uh,"

"Alright then Bar or Dining Room?" before Liam could really register it.

"Dining room."

"Alright, right this way!" She began pacing off into the restaurant.

"Well alright then." Liam muttered to himself, half mockingly.

Renee followed Liam and the waitress through the restaurant, gawking at the decor and general air of the place. It was nice, rather cozy. The people who were already there eating seemed to be enjoying themselves so it must be a good place. The waitress sat the two down at a booth and Renee sat across from Liam. She took the proffered menu from the waitress and stared at the listings.

"I...uh....I dont go out much so..." she started, in a soft voice and hiding her face in the menu. "W-what would you order?"

Liam didn't like being rushed into his seat by the hostess, "Here are your menus, your server this evening will be Tanya, she'll be right with you." She chimed at them before vanishing to the front of the restaurant.

Picking up the menu he looked it over, "What you've never had pizza before?" He asked wondering how that could be even possible. "Me, I like all kinds of things on pizza." Looking over the menu, "Greek Pizza? That's weird, but neat."

"Hello there my name is Tanya and I'll be your server this evening welcome to our opening night, can I get you lovely couple something to drink?" A brunette in a black apron and ponytail, with a plastered smile came up to them.

Liam looked up, "I'll have a Steamwhistle," "Oh we don't carry that brand here." Liam's night was getting worse. " Fine .... Jaeger?" "Alright one Jaeger, and you miss?"

"I....I don't drink. I'll have a soda, thanks." Renee said in a quiet voice, further sinking down into her chair as if she could disappear. She was not good in social situations, not one bit, and even more so in an unfamiliar restaurant with a guy she doesnt know very well. She started to think this was a bad idea.
"Can I order the...mushroom soup...if that's alright." she told the waitress.

"Alright I'll go bring you your drinks and the soup when it's ready." The waitress cheerily paced off towards the kitchen. Watching her leave Liam noticed the Bar tender, a tall slender girl with hair the colour of embers and a face that must have been 30% metal piercings. Her outfit screamed "Bad Attitude" and her eyes screamed "Fuck you" in fact everything about this girl seemed to scream out. Sliding a Jaeger down the bar towards their waitress their eyes locked, "Fuck you" suddenly became "I recognize you and I will murder you". Lifting the bar counter up the redhead began moving towards their table with killer intent. "Shit" he muttered under his breath.

"W-what what what?" Renee stuttered, thrown into a slight panic. She heard Liam's slight mutter, but saw his body language more clearly. He was tense, worried, anxious, and it was plenty enough a reason for Renee to be scared out of her mind. "What's going on?" she asked, looking around.

Liam looked over at Renee, a sullen look glossed over his eyes. "There's about to be conflict," turning to face the Ember-Haired barkeep who was just 2 booths away now, "and it's going to be loud." Tensing Liam looked up, angry eyes drilled holes through him and a violent storm began to brew. "Hey Kazz." was his nonchalant response.

The Redhead slapped her hands on her slightly shaped hips, "Hey Kazz." she parroted back in a nastily mocking tone. SLAM, her hands rumbled the table and thundered across the dining room, nearby conversations slowed and the cheerful music played on ironically. Leaning over Liam glowering, he and Renee had a clear view of what most would consider grade A cleavage tied up by a black metal band T. Liam's eyes wavered briefly from hers. What felt like a long period of silence passed between the two before her iron bar mouth broke into a slightly scary smile "Hey fuckface."

Renee shrank into the booth, making herself a very small, shaking target. The aura of intimidation rolling off of Kazz made her instinctively edge back. She whimpered slightly, and a trash can outside suddenly exploded. The glass and walls of the restaurant muffled the noise, so Renee wasnt startled further.

Kazz the scary redhead turned slowly towards the cowering Renee. "Any who's this skank?" she asked pointed and bitter, snapping back to Liam whom looked just as unamused as when this whole interrogation began. "She's my date tonight." he stated, slowly announcing each syllable deliberately as if to drill the message into Kazz's skull.

Silence

Kazz's eye began to twitch, her jaw clenched. Springing like a pouncing tiger she latched onto Liams collar, raising a fist to him. Before her fist could hit it's mark there was an eerie high pitched scream from the speakers. To those who could feel it, magic had just pierced the atmosphere creating the horrid sound. Kazz's hands flew to cover her ears forgetting all about punching Liam in the process.

"Now now Kazz, you mustn't punch your customers, what sort of owner would you be?" An elegant voice spoke up an out of place sight stood in its direction. A small crowd had gathered around the table, but they were almost exclusively buxom women in various revealing outfits, stockings, crop tops, mini skirts, and more. Breasts spilling out of intentionally tight tops and dolled up to perfection. The only man in the entire group was dressed in high fashion, wearing a trim black striped suit with black leather shoes, Platinum blond and a gorgeous smile he eyed the table, particularly lingering over Rinhee. "I must apologize" he began clearing his voice, "for her behavior. Allow me to pay for your entire meal." Winking in Rinhee's direction.

Liam, havig regained his senses was stunned silent, and afraid. This man was Marquess.

Renee gritted her teeth, eyes screwed shut and clamped her hands over her ears. The magic in the air rattled her so hard, her vision was blurry for a short while. When it stopped, all she could see were burred flesh-colored shapes, and heard muffled talking. Someone with a calm and collected voice. She blinked rapidly, trying to regain her senses, and looked up to see the platinum blond man standing at her's and Liam's table. He winked at her, and Renee shrank back, unsure of what to do or how to feel.

Marquess, one of the crime lords of downtown Errintin was standing in front of them. With his posse of girls offering to pay for their meal tonight, because Psycho Kazz had just tried to punch his lights in, he also did it with a wink pointed in the direction of Liam's date. Rattled was the least of what Liam was feeling in this moment, he felt himself tightening a hand around one of the rocks in his coat pocket without his consent. The man was dangerous, he knew that, heck he felt that!

"You uh .. don't have to do this at all uh .. sir." Liam sputtered towards the well-dressed man.

Marquess dislodged himself from the cradling arms of buxom whores and approached their table, coming right up to the edge with a flick and push he shoved Kazz off to the side without so much as an acknowledgement and smiled. "Nonsense I insist. It's only good business practice that an owner handle any mistreatment the customer feels at his establishment. Especially when oe is such a magical beauty like yourself" he wept his hand towards Renee.

Everything about this man was mysterious and dangerous, but something caught fire and exploded again outside. Renee was scared. Her hands shook and she stared hard at the table while Marquess was addressing Liam. But her head snapped up, fear momentarily forgotten when he spoke about her.
"H-how....How did you know?" she asked faintly, in a shaking voice. No one else really made the connection between her and the explosions, that they were magic and she was causing them.

Instead of standing at the table the whole time of his conversation Marquess opted to slide himself into the booth next to Renee, much to Liam's horror. The Girls had began to disperse flirting with groups of male patrons or making the bar look pretty, one slide into the booth right next to Liam placing a bare leg against his thigh.

Marquess gave a sly look and wrapped his arm around Renee, "You're quite the little firecracker aren't you?" he whispered into her ear. Pulling their bodies closer.

Their waitress at this moment returned with the drinks, the poor girl nearly stopped dead when she saw the patrons had doubled, and who they were. "Here are your drinks, and may I get anything for you two?" she offered nervously, placing the Beer and Soda of unidentifiable flavour onto the table.

The Girl looked up and cooed, "Red wine for me my darling." The waitress agreed and said she'd return shortly. Liam decided to nervously look up at whom he was sitting with. She was definitely pretty, long black hair and blue eyes, dressed a little finer than the other, what must have been whores, her body was arches and curves and. She also seemed entirely unfazed by Marquess warming up to Renee. Liam looked back to Renee herself, concerned, but trying to hide it.

Marquess's whisper made Renee's heart jump, and not in a good way. Something exploded outside again, and stayed on fire as the man pulled Renee to him. She shook, and kept glancing to Liam in a silent plea for help. But the jock was getting preoccupied with the curvy lady beside him, so help might not come. Liam did look back after a while and he seemed concerned, so that brought a shred of peace of mind back to Ren.

"I..." she stammered "I dont think we've met before?"

Marquess leaned back into the booth, "Well you are quite right, I have rudely yet to introduce myself. I simply assumed everyone knew who I was." Taking Renee's hand he gently pressed his lips to the back, "I am Maxime Van De Velde, but I am known quite well in this area as, Marquess." Releasing her hand he continued. "I have taken an intnerest in you because of your abilities, I would like to discuss them at length with you, for you see." a pause in the monologue as he waved to the girl across from him, who seemed to interpret this as a signal to pick up a napkin and hold it between her hands with a small point facing upwards.

With a second flick of his wrist, the tip of the napkin began to kindle, and Marquess said nothing having made his point obvious.

Liam couldn't believe his eyes. Was this those weird powers Marquess was said to have? Was he like Renee?

Renee's fear was momentarily forgotten at Marquess's display. She stared, wide-eyed and curious, as the napkin kindled and burn. He was like her? And he wanted to teach her? Curiosity and excitement came back to her and she couldnt help but smile. "I...My name's Renee. Renee Ashcorp. Please to meet you, sir."

A snap of the fingers and the napkin extinguished, "The pleasure is all mine Renee. ow then I would love to have this conversation pertaining to our mutual talents as soon as possible. If I may." Leaning back he observed just how easily excited she was.

"Yes!" Renee said immediately, but one of the windows by the other booth spontaneously shattered. That brought her back to her senses very quickly. She curled in on herself, staring at the tablecloth again, glancing up at Liam. "I...I mean if its alright with L-Liam...He did take me out here after all." she said in a small voice.

Three sets of eyes focused on Liam making him feel highly uncomfortable. More so for the fact that the kind smiling Criminal Lord across from him had an intense look in his eye. The situation was quiet for several moments, almost interrupted by the waitress bringing Red wine for Marquess and female companion. She seemed to know better than to talk. Liam shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I ... can't really stop you from going if you want to." Voice creaking with a little more awkwardness than he'd like, he was afraid but didn't want to show it. Kind of hard when you're surrounded on all sides by dangerous people.

That was enough for Marquess to raise his wine glass in toast, "Excellent!" he shouted, "Well then Renee shall we?" Marquess began to stand up glass in hand offering the other to Renee. "We have a lot to talk about.

Renee took Marquess's hand and stood, shakily, and glanced at Liam. He was scared, she was scared, and the situation had gone out of control. She began to think that maybe she should have just run home and locked herself in her room like she originally planned. She followed the Marquess, as being a very powerful man, it would have been dangerous to say otherwise.

And off she went, hand in hand with the most powerful man in the district, Liam watched as his strange date left. In the pit of his stomach he felt abandoned, but there was nothing either of them could have done really, though she seemed eager for it. Eyed by both Kazz and the mysterious lady alongside him he felt enclosed. The soup arrived, but there was no one to eat it.

Liam wondered if he would ever hear from her again.

Marquess whisked Renee away from the hustle and bustle of the 'grand' opening and into the quiet sanctity of the VIP room, with but a nod the door opened revealing a lavish interior fit for Marquess' Ego. "We have a lot to talk about." Marquess smiled.