A Fangtastic Foursome

[Trillian]

Ben and Kerr arrived at the restaurant on time but Vincent and Owen were already seated at their table. Vincent had insisted they arrive early so he could chat with Anton and properly thank him for getting them in at short notice. Anton, Owen learnt on the drive over, had been a donor for Vincent over twenty-five years ago when he'd been barely twenty and starting out as an apprentice chef. Vincent had allowed himself to be a referee on Anton's resume and told multiple white lies in order to help him get his first job in a high-class establishment. It had been an amazing opportunity that had set Anton on a successful course in life. Even though after a few years he'd discovered he didn't have a love for cooking, he'd still circled the hospitality industry as a restaurateur and had managed many successful restaurants throughout his time. Echelon being his latest.

Anton had shifted some reservations around in order to wrangle one of the tables beside the large plate glass windows for the best view of the city, holding it specifically for Vincent Lockwood and his party of four. The pair of them hugged like old friends (which they were) and Owen was complimented and fussed over as being the lucky man who'd won Vincent's heart while also being told that Vincent must've been aiming for the stars to land someone so gorgeous. Anton was over-the-top and delighted by them, but had disappeared by the time Kerr and Ben arrived to join Vincent and Owen at their table. They were shown through by the host instead, who was polite and efficient.

Vincent stood when he saw Kerr and Ben approaching, displaying his smart dark grey suit and burgundy tie and he stepped out to hug Ben and did the same for Kerr before reclaiming his seat. Ben was dressed in tan pants, a white shirt, a gold brocade waistcoat and a navy suit jacket over the top. He greeted Vincent and Owen with none of the awkwardness he'd worried about a few nights ago, and took the seat opposite Vincent, beside Kerr.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr wasn't surprised but he was disappointed that Vincent and Owen were already at the table before he and Ben got there. He wasn't being deliberately competitive but... it sort of felt like Vincent had scored the first point, by arriving first. It put him on the back foot, though he had no idea what the stakes were. Was he playing to be Ben's number one or something? It sounded pathetic when he thought of it like that, yet the feeling persisted.

It dissipated somewhat when Vincent hugged him; it was a sweet and considerate gesture, humbling Kerr with its graciousness. He was also wearing a dark grey suit but it had a Nehru collar and the material was shinier than Vincent's, the sheen causing it to glint beneath the lights when he moved. It was piped with black edging, large black buttons and black pocket lapels, the collar and cuffs of a black silk shirt showing at his throat and wrists.

He moved from Vincent to Owen, expecting a handshake but surprised by another hug. Yep, they were superior greeters to he and Ben, too. Warm and welcoming, it felt natural to be enveloped in their arms and Kerr resented the lack of awkwardness. He and Ben were uprightly formal by comparison. Another point for the eldest and youngest vampires; Kerr christened them the Extremes Team in his mind.

As Owen removed his long arms from around Kerr's shoulders, Kerr couldn't help but admire his form. He was dressed simply, in a silken shirt that matched Vincent's tie in colour (cute), the top few buttons undone at his throat, revealing a black leather necklace with a silver ornament on it around his throat. His shirt was paired with dark blue jeans, a brown belt and boots. He was the least formally dressed out of the four of them, yet his loose blond hair (tamed in a tidy bun at the back of his head) and flashing blue eyes made him the most eye-catching.

Owen sat down opposite Kerr, his hand casually landing on Vincent's knee beneath the table. "Thank goodness you two finally came," he declared with an exaggerated eye roll, "Vincent made us come ages ago so we could thank Anton for getting us in and I had to sit through a ton of old, boring stories." His grin declared that he was teasing as he glanced pointedly from Vincent to Ben.

Kerr looked at Vincent, frowning as he played the joke forward. "Just how old are you?" he queried guilelessly.

[Trillian]

Vincent smiled at Owen charmingly, not batting an eye when he was teased.

“I’m an expert at old, boring stories,” he stated proudly, then glanced at Kerr when the question was asked before looking at Ben, who sat without expression. His gaze moved back to Kerr. “I was born in the final year of the of the 14th century,” he stated with pride. “Sired in the 15th of course, at a modest thirty two. You must’ve been much, much older,” he said to Kerr with a growing smile. He could take Kerr's question and raise the ante.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr breathed a laugh but winced a pained face like he'd been stung, surprised and impressed that Vincent had parried his barb so deftly. He wasn't nearly as stuffy as Kerr had suspected, then.

"Oooh, ouch," he said to go along with his face pulling, a hand clutching melodramatically at his heart as if that was where he'd been struck. "I was thirty-two also, when I was sired in the seventeenth. Obviously, I'd worked harder in my life than you, to look so very aged," he smirked.

So both of the vampires Ben loved (or could fall in love with) were sired when they were thirty-two. Coincidence? Weirdly so!

Owen's gaze flicked from one to the other, as if he was watching a tennis match. For his part, he liked that Kerr could keep up with Vincent, it raised the younger vampire in his esteem. It also seemed appropriate that both sires were so similar, it fitted their roles and somehow made them more... sirey.

"Wow, look at you two," Owen quipped with false admiration, "comparing measurements already. At the dinner table. That didn't take long." He raised his eyebrows, playing at being scandalised.

Kerr brayed a short laugh, genuinely surprised by the sarcastic remark.

[Trillian]

Ben and Owen had peculiarly struck up a friendship after the kiss, and he'd not had trouble conversing with him after that, when they were alone. And Ben and Vincent had multiple conversations together about all kinds of things while they'd waited for Owen to come to training. But when Owen and Vincent were together, Ben found himself unable to communicate easily, though he never felt awkward over it - just never able to jump into the type of conversation they were having. Usually joking or flirting. Exactly like this.

He smiled at Kerr, pleased that he could carry the conversation with the couple opposite them. He smiled at Owen because he'd said something funny. He smiled - briefly - at Vincent before his gaze flitted back to Owen and then at the menu in front of him, extremely aware of Kerr's presence at his side and the fact he knew now that Ben loved Vincent. He opened the menu and stared at food choices, turning pages until he got to a special red insert that was titled 'Blood List'. Huh. There were different sized and glasses for different blood types, options of temperature to have them in (hot, warm, tepid) and different species. His gaze instantly sought out the Fae list.

Vincent, meanwhile, turned to Owen. "I thought you'd be pleased your sire has the longer, uh, history."

Ben took air into his lungs quickly, readying himself for something to say, but he pulled it in too quickly and sucked in spit, which his body didn't want anything to do with, forcing him into a coughing fit.

[Existentially Odd]

Owen only had time to grin before Ben exploded in a barrage of coughs, drawing everyone's attention. His and Kerr's heads swivelled to regard him and Kerr reached over to lay a hand on his shoulder like he was considering patting him on the back but thought better of it. When it began to subside, Kerr withdrew his hand and turned back to regard Vincent. His expression held a mocking reprimand.

"It is long. You made Ben choke from all the way over there," he said, wonder tingeing his voice.

Owen snorted laughter. "Jesus, dude," he chortled before turning to grin at his husband. "And I'm immature?" he chastised, shaking his head.

Kerr chuckled and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender before Vincent could respond. "You're right. I'll behave," he promised, austerely turning his attention to the menu - though a satisfied smirk lurked around his lips as he licked them negligently.

Owen blinked and frowned because he saw something dark flicker near Kerr's mouth. "Do... d'you have a pierced tongue?" he asked, astonishment raising his voice slightly.

Kerr looked up from the blood list he was inspecting and grinned. Instead of saying anything, he dropped his tongue out, glancing around to be sure he wasn't making a spectacle of himself and drawing outside attention to the shiny black ball nestled in the pink flesh of his tongue. Nobody beyond their table was looking but he pulled his tongue in quickly anyway and went back to the menu.

Owen's eyes were wide and alive with interest. His mouth dropped open and he pulled in an audible breath to say something that matched his dancing gaze as he looked first at Vincent and then at Ben. When he caught the way Ben was looking at him, however, he thought better of asking what was on his mind and closed his mouth. He sidled a mischievous glance at Vincent but remained silent as he also turned his attention to his menu.

[Trillian]

Once the coughing fit subsided, once his ears stopped ringing with the awfully embarrassing innuendo Kerr had made (and wondering if so much of it would've been said if Kerr hadn't known about Ben's desires), he realised that there was a peculiar warmth in his face. He had no idea what was causing it - he'd never felt anything like it before. He put a cool hand to his cheek and had to reassess; his face wasn't that hot but there was definitely a difference in temperature.

Blushing. He'd blushed. He'd downed a blood-bag earlier tonight but it shouldn't have been enough to not only pink his cheeks but make them warm. He was craving blood a bit more too and he supposed that maybe it was a side-effect. He'd thirst after sex, too. Correction; he'd used to.

Frowning at the blood list now, he ignored Owen's question and chose not to look at Kerr, fairly certain he was putting his piercing on display. After a moment he glanced up unhappily and caught Owen's eye before dropping his gaze again.

He wondered if he would be so uptight if he wasn't having trouble with sex. Kerr certainly seemed unaffected by it but the topic, lewd and crude, just made Ben want to curl up and die. He knew he was over-sensitive and he read the same words on the list over and over, not really able to comprehend them.

"Ben," Vincent said softly, drawing his attention. "Did you ever get to try nymph? They have it here."

The question was asked conversationally but Ben was grateful for it. "I met one in Venture but he wouldn't consent to a drink. He was new at it," Ben shrugged, thinking that whats-his-name should've let him, because Ben would've been gentle. "I'll try a glass here."

"I've heard it can give vampires a doping effect," Vincent said, then looked at Kerr. "Did you read the article in Nightly News? I don't believe the fae population will be too happy about it," he said.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr watched Ben, noticing the colour in his face, which told Kerr... he was blushing? Was he embarrassed? Because he was joking around with Vincent and Owen? Resentment rose, even though it was a mute emotion because he couldn't really get mad at Ben for being ashamed of him (assuming that was what was happening). Still, it felt like he was getting criticism while Vincent remained untainted and the good humour he'd been feeling suddenly vanished.

It must be so nice for him, up on his pedestal, where mistakes could never touch him.

Kerr frowned when Vincent spoke to Ben, recommending blood that would affect his mental state. Alarm washed through him as Ben talked about a nymph he'd wanted to drink from - what the fuck?? - but been refused so he'd try the blood here. He had visions of their plans at Venture being unfairly altered if that happened, considering Ben might make all sorts of uncharacteristic choices (he could later regret, thereby setting his progress back yet again) or be completely dissuaded from their plans altogether if he went ahead with the nymph blood.

He turned his frown towards Vincent as he tried to draw him into the conversation. Kerr recalled the article but was confused by the question - his rampant concerns about Ben weren't helping his focus. "About the article being published or the information about nymph blood making vampires high getting out?" he asked for clarification.

[Trillian]

"About the misinformation surrounding nymph blood," Vincent clarified. "The Nightly News I find delightfully unbiased and quite reserved in their reporting. Perhaps why they don't do as well as the more flamboyant papers. The journalist was attempting to set the record straight but the article itself had a... peculiar undercurrent to it, as though the reporter in the back of her mind knew that her findings would have no impact on the rush for Nymph blood. Take Echelon as a for instance," Vincent said, gesturing at the menu. "They've always had nymph available, but I notice the price has risen dramatically because demand must be high. According to the article, nymph blood is more like... " Vincent hunted for the word, tapping the menu as though he could get inspiration from it. Perhaps he could, because he lit up. "Like a shot of vodka. It's just that the buzz doesn't immediately depart a vampire's mental and physical state. Or so the article says. I've never had the pleasure." He smiled disarmingly at Kerr. "In any case, word has got out that nymph blood is euphoric, so everyone wants to try it."

Not everyone. Vincent himself didn't.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr's frown didn't abate as he listened to Vincent's explanation. He didn't say anything to it, but turned to face Ben instead. "Are you sure you want try something that's going to affect your cognitive abilities? Tonight?" he asked meaningfully.

It was more than just their planned adventure later, he now realised. What if Ben changed during dinner, when he was around Vincent? He wouldn't forgive himself if he got - essentially - drunk and too relaxed to maintain his usual level of decorum. As Ben knew all too well, Kerr had been there. The shame didn't fade quickly.

"Is everybody ready to order?" a cheerful voice asked.

Owen looked up to see a waitress standing between Vincent and Kerr, a tablet and stylus poised in her hands. He smiled at her because his looking up caught her eye and she smiled first. Owen had been intrigued by the conversation about nymph blood (though the lead had kinda been buried beneath information about the news Vincent preferred to read, which didn't interest him) but he wasn't too sure if he wanted to spend money for something like that. It seemed a waste.

Frankly, his palate wasn't that refined anyway and he wasn't sure he wanted to start messing around with different types of blood just for the unique experience of it. His thing was really just blood, and plenty of it. He didn't care how it tasted going down, so long as it came in large amounts and stifled the gnaw of hunger that refused to die completely, inside him. Vincent promised him that this feeling would go but a decade still seemed too long, to him - though he had to admit it was definitely better than it had been when he was young and manic.

"Uh, I'd like an apple-smoked parfait, please. Any blood type," he ordered, closing his menu and handing it to the waitress once she'd pressed the screen on her little device. Having human blood smoked with apple chips sounded exotic enough for Owen - especially since he'd read that there'd be over a litre of it, delivered in a large parfait glass. Quantity trumped quality, at this stage.

[Trillian]

Ben, who wasn't going to order the nymph blood tonight, especially after finding out that it would affect him, stared at Kerr, not liking the way he'd been spoken to about it. So much for trust.

Ben lowered his eyes back to the list without replying, still unable to focus on the words. He stared at the squiggles and only after a while did some of them make sense. Engineer something something. African American something. Something or other Labourer. Dryad. What was a Dryad? It was in the Fae section.

The cheerful voice annoyed him. He glanced up and nodded before looking down again. Owen gave his order and Ben frowned, wondering where on the menu that had even come from. Everything he was looking at was 'glass of this' or 'glass of that'. Owen was going to eat apple? Were there special fancy throwing up stations or containers for him to throw up the foodstuff in? Ew.

Vincent spoke next. "I'll have the mélange acrobatique," he said with warmth in his voice. "Served hot, large size, thank you."

There was a long pause and Ben gave a few sideways looks before he realised they were waiting on him.

"Same. The acrobatic one," he said, closing the menu. He couldn't think what he wanted after the reprimand from Kerr and he didn't want the apple thing Owen ordered. The only option left was to copy Vincent.

The smart-dressed woman smiled at Ben as he looked her way. "Large size, served hot as well?" she prompted. Ben nodded and then it was Kerr's turn.

[Existentially Odd]

Apparently his concern for his love was offensive, because the disdain Ben's stare exuded chilled Kerr into recoiling. Vincent could do no wrong, Kerr could do no right. Got it. When Ben went back to examining his menu, so did Kerr. With his lips pressed firmly together, he examined both sides of the Blood List insert, deliberating between the side that listed the exotic types of blood - where nymph was certainly available and expensive - and the side that listed the mundane but with additives like smoking for mild flavour enhancement (which Owen had chosen) or treatments that resulted in different viscosities thanks to pro-coagulant ageing.

He found, with Ben glaring at him like he was, that he didn't have much of a taste for anything but he wasn't going to cause a scene. Heaven forbid he do something else for Ben to be ashamed of.

"I'd like to try the Chilled Blood Mousse, please," he told the waitress when it was his turn to order. According to the description, it was 'a meticulously aerated bowl of B+ coagulant garnished with whimsical, frozen blood bubbles'. It sounded light and, since he was planning to drink later (assuming he got through the dinner with some of Ben's good humour restored, anyway), perfect for now.

The waitress frowned, mildly perturbed by his order. "Would you like that to come out with all the other dishes or would you like a hold on it?" she asked politely.

Of course. His order had come from the dessert section while everybody else's was a hot main dish. "With everyone's, please," Kerr requested, forcing his lips into a tight smile before offering an explanation for his unique meal choice. "I'm not overly parched."

The waitress didn't particularly care about why he was ordering from the dessert section, she just wanted to be sure she wasn't going to get into trouble for incorrect timings when she brought their meals out. Her work completed for the time being, she finished sending their order to the kitchen, took Kerr's menu and informed them their meals would be out shortly before she moved onto her next task.

In her wake, there was a moment of silence that felt awkward to Owen, so he decided to fill it. He looked at Kerr, feeling it was an excellent opportunity to satisfy his curiosity. "So... how is it you're not actually dead, after all?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest and leaning forward so his elbows rested on the table, his body language declaring his interest in the answer. He'd heard rumours of drugging and abduction, escape from a lover's tiff and a portal to another dimension. Although he and Vincent had (privately) discussed the theories at length, they hadn't asked anyone that knew the full truth. That could've offended someone. Nothing like getting it from the horse's mouth, he figured.

Kerr looked across the table at Owen, noting his eagerness. It made his pale blue eyes shine and his lovely lips skew with excitement, enhancing his beauty. He was young and guileless and Kerr couldn't help but respond to it, a more genuine smile twisting his own lips as he inadvertently mirrored the youngling's pose. He clasped his hands together and leant forward with his forearms balanced on the edge of the table, not thinking about how it displayed his subconscious attraction to Owen's open, friendly nature.

"Well," he began warmly, "I was given a gift without much time for an explanation, so when I used it, I was unaware of all the consequences of my actions." He paused, giving a mild chuckle when Owen's eyes widened on cue and then he gave a slightly more detailed explanation, briefly describing the portal in his chest, his harried dissolution of the Oligarchy, his rapid trip to Austria, the ignorant step into the portal and his shock when he returned from another dimension eighteen months later. Owen wanted to know details about what another dimension was like and was disappointed when all Kerr could describe was the room he'd seen.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you any more than that," he apologised when Owen's expression twisted. He'd done his best to keep his story short and pithy but this was something he couldn't have expanded on even if he'd wanted to.

"Eh, it's not your fault you didn't see land or sky or anything else," the blond dismissed with a flick of his hand, still thinking through the truth he'd finally learnt.

Kerr turned to Vincent, wondering what his opinion was and fighting back the urge to thank him again for helping Ben in his absence. He'd said it once and now that he knew more of the story, he certainly wasn't in the mood for thanking the older vampire again; it would be like saying he was grateful for inadvertently attracting Ben's love. He wasn't at all thankful for that.

[Trillian]

Ben sat quietly throughout the telling, not having any idea of the negative path he'd put Kerr on. After he'd been reminded not to indulge in nymph blood (as though Kerr was a parent, not a lover... although since they currently weren't sexual in any manner, the sire/fledge part of their bond was the most prominent), Ben retreated into himself, the embarrassment lingering because now he felt like a fragile child. He struggled to make eye contact with anyone but was determined not to make himself look any more foolish than he had already. He'd known this dinner was going to be awkward for him - but he'd not expected it to be like this.

Vincent listened with as much interest as Owen, though he sat back in his chair to take it all in while the other two leant forward. Kerr's story was fascinating and only tragic at the end, when he'd come to realise how much time had passed. A few different moments during the story Vincent's gaze flicked to Ben, wondering if Kerr's fledge and partner had heard this enough times for it to no longer evoke emotion or if he was affected by it. Ben could've been a statue and it only took another glance or two to realise he wasn't okay and that the stiffness was his shield. Vincent believed, incorrectly, that it was the recounting of the circumstances surrounding Kerr's 'death' that had him there.

"A remarkable tale, and serves as a warning for Owen and I not to holiday in alternate dimensions lest we don't recognise the world when we return," he said, studiously keeping his gaze on Kerr and Owen for the time being. He didn't want to put Ben on the spot. "Have you caught up on all the popular culture yet? I understand you're an avid cinema buff."

Topic changed. Check.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr gave a polite laugh at Vincent's joke about not holidaying in alternate dimensions but it didn't reach his eyes. He glanced at Ben and was dismayed by his disapproving expression. Seriously, what more did he have to prove? Vincent and Owen had listened raptly to his story and sympathised. Vincent had even made a lame joke about it! Why couldn't Ben recognise that Kerr was being accepted and stop punishing him for embarrassing him in front of his fucking hero?

Well, because he's Ben.
Your jokes were sexual... dumb move even pre-rape.
You asked if he thought it was a really good idea to drink nymph blood
 - either treating him like a baby
or you're just a fucking idiot for not realising he wasn't going to try it, duhhh...
and also ALL < Vincent, so don't even try

Feeling defeated, Kerr turned his attention to Vincent's question, forcing a smile. "Oh, no, sadly, I haven't had time to catch up with much," he admitted, thinking this was just a variant answer to the one he'd given the other day, regarding his cello. Surely Vincent understood that Ben's campaign and Lovebite ate up most of their time? He wasn't going to bring them up, though. Ben had already hinted that Vincent didn't approve of his ambition to be district leader (at least, that was how Kerr had interpreted the offhanded comment) so drawing attention to that would be relationship suicide.

Ben would probably just get up and walk out of the restaurant.

The thought of it caused a wave of sadness to wash through him, which he didn't stop travelling through their blood bond. He was loathe to communicate mentally, assuming Vincent would detect that in such proximity (and think it rude), but his emotions didn't have to be kept to himself. He wanted Ben to know he was sorry and sad. And that he loved him, even if there were many other emotions he wasn't sharing.

"Hopefully soon. Especially now that our latest project has wrapped up," he turned to smile at Ben (it was much more genuine than the expression he'd given Vincent) so that he felt included in the conversation, instinctively reaching over to gently brush the backs of his fingers against Ben's shirt sleeve as well. "We've finally got all the Oligarchy's books into the library at the Academy. We finished checking them over and I took them in the other night - that's when I ran into you, when I was dropping them off," he told Owen, so that he was also including him.

Owen's face brightened and he nodded his recognition but then he snickered, remembering the trick he'd played on Sam, making him worry that he was offended. "Sam is so easy to mess with," he snorted. "That was funny!"

Kerr frowned, uncertain how that statement fit into his discussion about books or even what to say about it but, thankfully, their meals arrived at that moment, two wait staff appearing carrying two dishes each. They were announced and laid on the table before the recipient that had nominated for them and then the waitress wished them enjoyment and left again. Kerr looked at the delicate little dish in front of him, six frozen blood bubbles with a diameter no larger than his thumbnail's sat in a whimsical mound atop an extraordinarily dark red mousse shaped like a round little crème caramel. It was the size of one of his fists. Surprisingly, the mousse also sat in a sticky blood sauce, which was a delightful addition to what was advertised on the menu.

Firstly, Kerr used a spoon to deposit a blood bubble onto his tongue. The instant he closed his mouth it popped, the sensation delightfully ethereal and causing him to giggle to himself. Next, he scooped some of the mousse into his mouth and was further enchanted by the feel of the light, fluffy mousse condensing like fairy floss into blood platelets and fibrin in his mouth, giving him an entirely different texture to savour. Last of all, he collected some mousse and sauce (which was just thickened blood) and tasted them in combination. Smiling his pleasure at the wonderful contradictions of the dish, he turned to Ben and pushed the plate towards him.

"You have to try this!" he enthused through his grin, his mood shifting to something much more positive thanks to his meal. "It's amazing! Get a bubble on its own, it feels so odd when it pops!" he laughed.

Owen watched the exchange intently, suddenly burning with diner's remorse. His apple-smoked blood was delicious and he really did enjoy the ambient flavour of apple infused through the blood but it was a simple experience compared to what Kerr had. He tried to sip it chastely, to make it last, wondering if Kerr would offer he and Vincent a taste. He waited to see what Ben thought of it before he turned his attention to what Vincent and Ben had chosen.

[Trillian]

With talk of the Academy, Ben lifted his gaze and looked at Kerr. The embarrassment of his not being witty enough, social enough or smart enough still clung to him but this was a topic he understood. Funny how he could make speeches to strangers yet in an intimate social setting he was absolute shit. The more he cared about people, the dumber he became. He felt better when Kerr gently brushed against his sleeve and he responded with a smile, pleased he hadn't been so obvious (he thought). At Owen's outburst he looked over, frowning as well, wondering why Owen was 'messing with' the Academy librarian and what had been so funny about it.

Drinks arrived. Overly-tall and wide hi-ball glasses were placed in front of him and Vincent, smelling delicious. As far as looks, it was the plainest of the lot but it hit the right note for Ben's cravings. Being so young the thirst was constant, but having the hot blood placed in front of him was testing his manners. He barely registered Kerr's dessert, taking large gulps of blood the perfect temperature but an unusual taste. What was this? Something acrobatic? He had no idea and didn't really care.

Ben's wide-eyed gaze went to Kerr when he was told to try the dessert. He complied dubiously but not wanting to be negative, and made sure to follow Kerr's advice and try the bubble on its own. His expression changed to delight. "Oh wow, that's... such a weird sensation."

He shook his head and smiled broadly at the desserts peculiar sensation but still returned to his hot drink. It satisfied him in a way that the dessert couldn't.

"Well," Vincent stated, staring at Kerr's dish. "I know what I'm having for dessert." He sipped from his glass, eyes dancing merrily as he watched Kerr enjoy his meal.