Who: Zach, Nico, Dante, Dione, and Adrienne
When: Early Evening
Where: A cave near the western edge of the haven.
What: Zach and Nico wander off from the search party and find trouble.

[save spot! writing up]

Who: Chloe & Nico
When: Morning
Where: The Tiki Hut
What: Chloe goes to work—and disaster strikes. Naturally.

Chloe hated horses, so she was walking along the dirt path to work. She lived at the water bungalows, and The Tiki Hut wasn’t far from her home. It was the reason why she chose to work there instead of in town. Had she chosen to work at the café, restaurant, or wine bar, Chloe would have found herself worn out from the on-foot travel. There was no way in hell she was taking a horse to get into town. Horses were dirty, smelly, and uncomfortable creatures to ride. She’d rely first on her own two feet before she ever considered jumping onto the back of one of those things.

Her two feet hadn’t failed her yet, and she was in cheerful spirits today. The weather had cleared up, which meant she finally got to work again. The Tiki Hut had been closed for the past four days because of the weather, and it had also been closed for about half of the past eighteen days since Loki disappeared to . . . wherever he was going. He was the real owner and boss. Her current boss was a stand-in for Loki, some buddy of his named Nico. Chloe had seen him around before, but she hadn’t really talked to him all that much. Not even since he became her boss. Hell, he’d only been that for nine or ten days. As if it counted.

As she neared the establishment, Chloe furrowed her brow at what looked like a cloudy mist hovering around The Tiki Hut. She thought the weather was supposed to be clear today. If Nico called her in to work on a wet and windy day, she was so going to kick his ass into next week. She didn’t even have an umbrella or a raincoat with her!

Drops of rain started to fall from the sky. Using her sling bag as a shield over her head, Chloe ran as fast as she could to the cover of the huge umbrella-like roof of the bar area. Her hair was matted and frizzy, her top was soaked, and she looked like a mess. “Nico!” she called out, her voice tinged with anger. “I thought we weren’t supposed to be open during bad weather!”

Who: Zach & Nico
When: Late Evening
Where: Their cottage.
What: Zach has to talk to Nico about the girlfriend situation. Post will contain chilling, alcohol, and perhaps a little bit of Bad English.

Zach wasn’t a girl, so luckily he wasn’t spending his time moping the way a girl usually did. No ice cream was lying around the kitchen, sad songs weren’t playing from the stereo, and he definitely hadn’t spent any of his time crying. Crying was one of those things Zach strongly avoided and for good reason. It was considered good for girls to cry because they were expressing themselves, but for a guy it seemed the rules were different. Crying made you look like an ass — a pansy — or worse, a mentally unstable person with serious issues. Most people couldn’t handle seeing a man cry, and there was a reason for that. It was very unsettling.

No, Zach was dealing with the situation in a much more manly fashion. He was eating nachos, listening to blaring rap music on the stereo system from their vast collection of CDs, and waiting on Nico to return with the booze. Yes, the booze. Uncle Jack and Cousin José at your service. They were going to have a night of supposed fun, just chilling together as best friends, and get some of their frustrations off their chests. Zach was going to approach this predicament the appropriate way with his friend. First, they were going to bullshit and eventually it would lead up to talking about the more serious things as the night progressed.

Right now, Zach was sprawled out on the floor and staring straight up at the ceiling as he bobbed his head from side to side, which consisted of rolling his head along the carpet. If his hair wound up with static in it, then it wound up with static in it. The two of them would have one more thing to laugh about if it did.

When the front door opened, Zach rolled his head over to look. He was too lazy to get up and check. “Yo, Nico, is that you?”

Who: Dante, Zach, and whoever else wants to join in
When: Evening, after this
Where: The Temple
What: The showdown finally comes to an end

Too many voices. There were just too many voices inside, and out for Dante to deal with. He had to run. Had to feel free even though he was anything but. There was no freedom in this place, and so his frustrations were showing themselves in the most violent of ways.

The lycanthrope carried Zach through the more deserted areas of the town. Back alleys that were nothing like the ones of New York or L.A., but still back alleys with little light, and places to hide. But Dante didn't stop to hide. He just ran, and ran, holding Zach tightly in his clutches. Without realizing it he ran all the way to the Elven temple, a place that would normally be a sanctuary would be the place where Zach would meet his end. It seemed fitting in the werewolf's mind even though it would effectively corner him in one place. Dante just wasn't thinking clearly, but every decision he made was backed-up with a fallacy he created in his mind.

Inside the temple Dante dropped Zach to the floor before he put a heavy foot on his back. He began to revert into a human form if only so he could talk to Zach. He was shirtless when he was done, and wearing a pair of tattered jeans. Dante knelt in front of Zach, and lifted his head by pulling on Zach's hair. "I don't usually kill men," he said with a smirk. "But I'll make an exception for you just like I made an exception for that other guy. What was his name—" He paused, and tapped his chin with his free hand. "Oh right, Simon. You remember Simon, don't you?"

Who: Nico and Umeko
When: Evening
Where: Umeko's bungalow
What: Nico decides to take Umeko on an impromptu date

It had been far too long since Nico spent any quality time with the girl who had managed to capture his interest for more than five minutes. It had only been a few days, but that was 'far too long' in Nico's book. He would have been happy to see the girl every day, but he didn't want to come across as needy or clingy. He had to stay aloof; that was the only way to hold a girl's interest.

But that didn't mean he couldn't be spontaneous, did it? Nico thought spontaneity was something that girl's thought was romantic. Plus he did miss seeing her, but that wasn't something he was going to admit outright. The half-sprite planned to whisk the therianthrope away from her bungalow for a night out at the restaurant. After that... well, he'd play it by ear.

The rain might have been a problem for Nico had he decided to not use his power. Unlike some other people he knew Nico didn't have a problem manipulating things for his advantage. He stopped the rain until it was nothing but a drizzle, and knocked on Umeko's door with a gift behind his back. It wasn't a bouquet of flowers, but something that he thought Umeko would appreciate more. He just needed her to open the door so he could give it to her, and so he could dry off before he took her to dinner.

Who: Dante, Zach, Nico
When: Afternoon
Where: Around the cottages
What: It's not smart pissing off a werewolf

He had been watching Zach ever since their last confrontation. The alchemist's activities were of particular interest to the lycanthrope since they involved Adrienne. Adrienne was his only concern. She was the goal, the only thing that mattered in this situation. Dante had been waiting for Zach to follow through with their agreement, but so far he hadn't seen a sign of it. Day in and day out Dante watched, and waited for the alchemist to break up with Adrienne; but all he saw was the two of them growing closer. This wasn't how it was supposed to work; this was all wrong.

Zach hadn't broken up with Adrienne, and it was obvious that he hadn't taken Dante's threat seriously. It was an annoyance that grated Dante like nails on a chalkboard, and all he could do now was deliver the message again. It was a waste of time, time that he could be spending watching Adrienne, being with Adrienne. Adrienne, Adrienne - she was the only thing on his mind right now. He could have been with her now if Zach had followed through, but the little chicken shit decided to grow a pair and defy him. He'd learn that that was a mistake.

He stalked the two boys for a few minutes until he emerged from some nearby bushes like a bat out of hell. Dante went straight for Zach, and grabbed the boy by the collar. "I thought I told you to stay away from her!" He pushed Zach away from Nico violently. "Listen here, boy, she's mine and you don't belong near her. Got it?" He pointed his finger toward him in a menacing manner, ignoring Nico all the while. He didn't care about the other man, though maybe he should have considered the fact that a witness was not something he should overlook.

Who: Nico and Zach
When: Afternoon
Where: Lake Alata'elen
What: Fishing trip!

It wasn't exactly the best weather for a fishing trip, but Nico wasn't about to let some fog and cold ruin his plans with Zach. The pair had originally planned on going ice fishing, but the smaller ponds around Elysium didn't have any fish, and the freshwater lake wasn't even frozen over. So they opted for regular fishing, checking out a medium-sized boat from the dock master and heading out to the middle of the lake.

( Fishing is the sport of drowning worms... )

Who: Nico and Zach
When: Late afternoon
Where: On their way to the generator in town (by the Fix-It Shop)
What: High and acting like fools

Sometimes you just needed to get high, at least that was Nico's belief. He wasn't addicted to marijuana to the point of having to smoke it everyday, but he did like it. He liked it even better when he had a friend to share it with, particularly Zach. Zach, in Nico's opinion, was super funny when he was high, and so much more laid back than he normally was.

And so it was that the two friends had gotten high that day, smoking weed in the cottage they shared, and watching porn on Nico's laptop until their portable generator had run out of juice. It was a sad moment for the boys, but they didn't move to do anything about it. They chilled on the couch for an hour or so, talking about nothing in particular and laughing their asses off. Finally, though, the munchies started coming on and the pair left their cottage with their portable generator in tow. Killing two birds with one stone was always a good plan.

The walk toward the Market Place was slow, laid back, and quiet until Nico broke the silence. "Hey bro," he said with a grin. "How many times do you think Debbie can do Dallas exactly?" They had watched the Debbie Does Dallas series up until the fourth installment, with one more to go. "Dude... what would it be like if Debbie did Elysium? Like, think they'd get like... centaurs and shit to be in it?" He laughed at his own words, snorting a bit in the process. "Oh fuck man... it would be like "he's not hung like a horse, he is a horse!"" Nico laughed even harder until he stopped mid-walk, doubling over by the mental image he just created for himself.

Who: Everyone (who isn’t already in a thread during this time)
When: 2 to 5 PM
Where: All over Helicharis
What: The harpy attack!


The harpies had been planning.

By most standards and definitions those particular praeternatural creatures were not intelligent. They had no real form of speech or civilization to speak of; however, they were capable of plotting vengeance. They wanted revenge against the interloper that had stolen into their nesting area in the middle of the night, the one who had burned some of their children and killed a few of their females. They knew not who the attacker was exactly, only that they had seen him retreating toward the village. That was enough for them.

A small fraction of the flock had gathered to attack the humans and other praeternaturals in Helicharis. They had no ‘real’ plan other than to wreak havoc, but at least it was something they were skilled in. Their shrill, ear-piercing cries, sharp claws, and razor sharp teeth were enough to cause a few injuries, and to scare the citizens into a frenzy.

The grotesque creatures set out from their nest, flying rapidly toward Helicharis and the unsuspecting citizens. Their numbers created a veritable black cloud in the sky, the flapping of their wings brought forth an ominous sound that seemed to resonate throughout the valley. Once they neared Helicharis the lead harpy let out a high-pitched shriek that could be likened to a banshee. It was the only warning the people would get before the swarm descended upon them.

Unnatural as they were, the harpies were masterful fliers; their maneuverability in the air unmatched by even the most graceful birds of prey. Ungainly and sometimes clumsy on the ground, the harpies preferred to stay in the air as they attacked the people with careful swoops and well-placed claws. Their attack was only made worse by the rain that refused to stop falling.


( OOC notes )

Who: Loki, Dominic, and Guests
When: 12:00 PM
Where: The Tiki Hut
What: Loki announces the news of his departure to his friends.

With the winter weather setting in, it was less and less likely people were going to use The Tiki Hut very much. However, there were two events booked for today and one of them was Loki's very own get-together with a group of friends he had made while here in Elysium. It wasn't meant to be a big party, just a small cookout of sorts with a handful of people. Dominic helped with the barbecue, and Loki set up the drinks for the event on the bar for people to easily grab whenever they got thirsty.

There were no big decorations up yet, and The Tiki Hut looked like it usually did under the simple lights of the establishment. They weren't using the dance floor, and there wasn't any music playing. Loki and his friends secured a little corner of the bar and some of the restaurants' tables beside the beach with the barbecue set-up.

Everyone was here already, mixing and mingling amongst each other, while Loki walked off for a moment to talk with Mitsuko in private before they returned to everyone else. He was going to break the news of his departure to her first before he told the rest of them. Hopefully, she wouldn't storm off from him during the party. Loki wasn't sure how his announcement was going to go once he let it out of the bag.


OOC: Post any sort of threads you want below! Dominic wants to meet some of his friends, and group subthreads are a-okay. Loki is going to have a scene with Mitsuko first, but then others later!

WHO: Open to anyone who wants to attend.
WHEN: Just after sunset.
WHERE: Northern Forest, near Van'taurë Lake.
WHAT: Faye and Kaiya's funeral.

Funerals in the most common fae tradition involved simple pyres to burn the bodies of the dead. It was an old tradition used to hide the bodies of the deceased, even in death, from the eyes of prying outsiders. Humans became known for ruining sacred ground by building their cities upon them or digging up the dead and, especially as time worn on, cremation became commonplace for most fae communities in the last few centuries. At Faye and Kaiya’s funeral, two elaborate pyres had been constructed in their honor near Van'taurë Lake.

The funeral began as a march. All those who attended walked a path from the edge of the forest to the location of the pyres by the lake. The journey to death had to be taken by all, and the crowd walked together with the people carrying the bodies of the deceased upon wooden carriers.

The colors of death were draped over their bodies. White was the color of death. Each woman wore a white dress, a white sheet draped over the lower half of their bodies, and white veils placed over their faces. Each of them held a bouquet of white sweet pea flowers in their hands. White poppy petals littered their dresses and the sheets over them.

When the march finally ended, they arrived at the pyres and stood at attention close to the lake. There were no seats. Faye and Kaiya were taken to their respective pyres and carried up to the top of the complicated structures. There, they were placed, and those who took them up the pyres returned to the ground. A song was sung by a choir of faes as the pyres were lit. All that could be done was to watch the fires rise up the pyres as attendees paid their respects by aiding the deceased into the afterlife with their presence.

Who: Everyone!
When: From sunset onward!
Where: Around the Ancient Elven Tree
What: All Hallow's Eve Festival!

ooc: to join in on the festivities, simply comment to the main post. Your entry can be a narrative or open to others. If you are replying to someone else reply to their comment and not to the main post. All activities are open for participation, it is up to your discretion what your character will do.

The sounds of happy parade goers filled the evening air as the citizens of Elysium marched from the town toward the festival near the Ancient Elven Tree. Many of the citizens were dressed in costume, and it was obvious that they had been looking forward to the All Hallow's Eve event. The lively music, provided by the fauns, set the overall tone of the parade. Many of the citizens were singing along to the music, while others whooped and cheered. Their path toward the Ancient Elven Tree was lighted by magical sparklers that never lost their energy, and some citizens even had hand-held sparklers that they waved around happily. Sorcerers enchanted objects to light up the sky like fireworks, while small fairies fluttered around the citizens like fireflies.

( Onto the festivities! )

Who: Zach, Nico, Adrienne, and Umeko!
When: Begins late afternoon, and lasts all through the night.
Where: The path between Helicharis and the Ancient Elven Ruins.
What: Camping trip!

The four of them left together from the initial house of meeting, which was Zach and Nico's cottage, and started on their journey through Elysium towards the south. Heading north would only bring them straight into much colder air, and none of them were quite up for that. They wanted to keep as warm as possible, and the forests in the south were nice and sparse, easy to travel through, and they could set up shop near the Ancient Elven Ruins. Maybe another time when it wasn't so cold they could travel to the palace for the night.

They had to bring a horse with them to help them carry all of their supplies, which wasn't all that much. It made the trip easier with a horse to help them along the way, so they brought Nico's horse from the stables to carry the two bags with the tent folded inside of them and another bag full of extra supplies. Everyone carried their own backpack with personal stuff in it, like clothing and whatnot. Blankets and pillows were also on the back of Nico's horse. They probably helped keep the fellow warm, so Zach doubted he minded it.

Zach and Nico were also leading the troupe of four simply because they had declared themselves group leaders. Adrienne insisted they carry lanterns, but Zach could barely see anything ahead of him in the fading light with just a lit wick shielded behind some unclean glass. This camping trip would require some heavy duty lighting props if they were going to find their way in the dark.

"Okay, this lantern isn't lighting up anything," Zach said, hooking the lantern onto his backpack and letting it hang. A moment later, he whipped out a flashlight from his backpack and clicked the bright light on, turning around to face the others. He held the flashlight under his chin as he walked backwards. "Toniiight," he said, using an ultra-fake Translyvanian accent, "we are taking 'ee road less traveiled." He turned around to watch where he was going again, shining the flashlight around their surroundings. "Hey, Nico, does this look familiar to you?" Zach aimed his flashlight at a big tree to their right. "Why does everything always look different at night?"

Who: Umeko and Nico (Hey that rhymes! xD)
When: Late Afternoon
Where: Main road of Helicharis
What: BOO! Says the Panda!


Umeko was feeling mischievous! She didn’t even know why. It was like she woke up (of course late, the lazy bum always overslept) and was hit with a devious stick. She dressed in pajama shorts and a tank top and stood outside for a moment, stretching out her muscles. What could she possibly do to cause a little havoc? She wasn’t one for being too troublesome, she just wanted to maybe spook someone, or maybe even-

“AH-HA!” she nearly screamed, then covered her mouth. She shouldn’t give out her master plan! Oh, and to her this was one hell of a plan. She ran down the road, dressed in pajamas and everything.

Transforming into a panda luckily didn’t hurt. It just felt strange feeling muscles, bones and teeth shift. This of course even felt weirder when running. She made sure to swing off into the bushes so no one saw her. Her destination was Helicharis and she didn’t want to be detected until then.

When Umeko reached the main road, she searched for a sturdy tree that could hold her weight. When she found one she carefully climbed to its very top and hid behind a set of leaves that shielded most of her body. For the sake of curiosity, she tried eating a leaf. She made a face. Gross! How did animals do that? Tasted like, well she didn’t know what!

Umeko had to forget her silly attempt to eat a leaf and had to focus on the grounds below. Her prank: She was going to jump in front of whoever was going to pass by! She couldn’t wait!

Who: Nico and Aveira
When: Evening
Where: Combat gym
What: Hot sweaty girls are sexy

When Nico set his mind to doing something it was hard to get him to think about anything else. He had begun a new training regiment for himself, one that would get him into the best shape of his life. It even included eating better, which was a strange shift for the sprite considering he was used to eating nothing but junk food. Elysium was the sort of haven that had hamburgers and hot dogs and heavily buttered popcorn - it was the sort of haven that tried to cater to all walks of life and all diets.

But Nico was steering clear from all of his favorite foods, and he was working out on a regular basis. It was hard at first, the running and the weight lifting left him sore for a day or two. But now that he was a few days into his routine it was getting easier. Structure was a good thing to have in one's life, especially for someone like Nico who didn't have much structure at all.

The sprite found himself at the combat gym this evening. He was throwing heavy punches upon the sand-filled bag, watching it sway lightly as he switched between jabs and hooks. He kicked it a couple of times, but that didn't do anything but frustrate him. Nico was a wrestler and a boxer, not a martial artist. Still, he kept with his left jabs, and hard rights before switching to the other side. It felt good to be active again - it made the sprite feel that he was actually accomplishing something other than just sitting around.

He gave the heavy bag one more strong punch before he walked away from it. He was breathing heavily, and he lifted the edge of his wife-beater tank top to wipe the sweat off his brow. He was walking toward the water fountain when he noticed something from the corner of his eye. A woman who was working out, and oh dear Lord was she hot! Nico couldn't help but stare for a moment as he walked. Unfortunately, he tripped over some free weights and went flying into a bench. He tried to recover though and made it seem as if he meant to fly toward the bench to take a seat. It all worked out for the best though as it gave him a better view of the girl he had been eyeing.

Who: Everyone!
Where: Just outside of Helicharis at the Festival Grounds
When: 6 PM till ??
What: Autumnal Equinox Festival - It's the first day of Autumn!

ooc: To join in on the festivities, simply comment to the main post. Your entry can be a narrative or open to others. If you are replying to someone else reply to their comment and not to the main post. All activities are open for participation, it is up to your discretion what your character will do.

The past week had been nothing but preparations for the coming equinox that would herald the new season. It was a happy time for the forest creatures as they were the ones that spent hours on end setting up the grounds for the joyous celebration. Wooden lamp posts lit with orange flames bordered the area as well as throughout the entire festival grounds. Each attendee was greeted with a flower garland for their head, neck, or wrist if they desired one.

Fairies had decided to attend this festival as well because of the bright colors that had attracted their attention. There were bonfires all throughout the festival as well and they added warmth to the cool night air. The fiery glow that came from each pyre added a comforting feel to the entire atmosphere, and there were many fauns and fae dancing around each one in a happy manner. They were singing songs and laughing joyously as they pulled passers-by into their happy circle.

Musical fauns played their instruments as they marched through the festival. Fae and fairies flew around the traveling group, singing and humming to the music that resonated in the air. A large stage was set up for those who wished to perform in front of a large crowd be it with singing or acting or any other sort of talent they possessed. There were shows held as well, particularly by those who possessed magic and wished to entertain the crowd for an hour or tow.

Food and drink tables were set up nearby to feed the many attendees with whatever they could think to eat. And wine, they couldn't forget about the wine! There were scantily clad fae handing out the intoxicating liquid to everyone with a free hand. The wine this year was extremely potent and anyone with a weak constitution would no doubt get inebriated with just one cup.

The southern part of the festival held the games geared toward the young or simply the young at heart. Barrels were available for those who wished to roll down hills, piles of leaves were created for those who wanted nothing more than to jump and play in them. Colored sparklers were handed out freely and there were even pegasus rides for anyone who wanted to soar through the skies. There were contests here as well, simple ones that had participants bobbing for apples and fruits and curious prizes, searching for toys in piles of hay, and even pinning horns on a wooden faun.

Contests were set up again as they were just a month earlier. Archery contests and wrestling matches, potato sack and three-legged races. There were various game booths set up as well, such as knife throwing and ring tossing. There was even an area set up for pie eating contests and a Dwarven ale contest where participants could try to out-drink a dwarf.

Fireworks exploded periodically throughout the night and the gleeful sounds of the festival echoed all around. Elysium was a joyful place tonight as citizens celebrated the equinox beneath the near-full moon.

Who: Theora and Mitsuko (with Loki and Nico possibly)
When: Early Afternoon
Where: Private room in Medical Pavilion
What: Checking in on the patient

Perhaps it was Elune's bidding that brought Theora to the medical pavilion the night before just as Mitsuko Kamiyama was brought in by a young man that Theora knew quite well. She recognized Loki and smiled at him only until she noticed the frantic look in his eyes and the unconscious fox in his arms. "A kitsune," Theora said immediately recognizing the energy signal from the weakened fox. "Quickly Loki, take her to an empty room."

Theora had spent the night tending to the poor white kitsune, watching over her form and periodically healing her until she awoke. The priestess was careful to not use too much of her power on the praeternatural knowing that a body oftentimes could not handle the energy that the priestess held. Small doses for smaller beings, as was the case here. The graceful Elven woman smiled down at the fox, her hands reaching out to stroke the soft white fur. "Wake up child..." she whispered close to Mitsuko's ear.

It was fortunate indeed that Theora was there when Mitsuko was brought in - not only for the priestess's healing abilities but also because Theora had been looking for Mitsuko as well. The Elven lady had heard of the theft of the Mir'en'Galad from the temple's priests, and they had also spoken the fox's name stating that she was the most likely suspect of the crime. Theora was not easily convinced and reserved her judgment much to the priests's dismay.

She sighed softly while watching Mitsuko's unmoving form. Theora did not believe in Mitsuko's guilt knowing whomever did take the artifact held great magic to break the Elven seal. And though the young kitsune held a reputation for being a rogue and a thief, Theora did not believe that she was to blame. And, if the priestess remembered correctly this young woman was the older sister of the half-kitsune they found on their first scouting mission. Surely the white fox would not have jeopardized her well-being or that of her brother's for the thrill that thievery brought. No, Theora did not sense that from the unconscious girl on the bed. The priestess did however have many things on her mind as of late, and she held the desire to speak of them with the young kitsune.

"It is time to awaken, young one..." Theora spoke once more, her voice holding an ethereal quality. The priestess's hand was pressed gently against the fox's neck and it glowed with the healing magic that would return the rest of Mitsuko's strength.

Who: Zach and Nico
When: Morning
Where: Their Cottage
What: Nico knows what's up with his boy . . . and wants details!

Zach woke up at an hour that didn't feel very early, but Adrienne was still snuggled underneath his arm and sleeping. For a moment, Zach considered going back to bed and staying there all morning, but his stomach grumbled for food and there was no point in denying it. Since he was hungry, he might as well get up and get something to eat. The thing was Adrienne was usually up by now and, if she was over the night before, she was in the kitchen cooking.

Well, he wasn't going to wake her. It was fend for himself time. Zach leaned over to plant a soft kiss against her shoulder and moved to scramble quietly out of bed. He had to grab a new pair of boxers from the dresser and slip them on. He snagged a clean t-shirt too, because if he tried to cook anything it would be too easy to burn himself on accident without one.

He left his room, closing the door behind himself, and stopped in the bathroom long enough to quickly brush his teeth. His hair was a mess, but he didn't bother with it. Besides, it was food and then back to bed.

Zach took to the stairs until he was on the last floor and made a beeline for the kitchen. There was, unknown to him, an obvious dreamy-like smile on his face. Anyone who saw it, who wasn't completely dense, knew automatically what it meant . . . especially his best friend, Nico. It just so happened that Nico was downstairs that morning, too, and already awake.