Kiss me; it'll heal but it won't forget. Who: Kumiko and Val Where: The streets When: 10:30pm
Scarlet Oak suddenly turning into a ghetto made Kumiko scrunch her face up in disgust. Even more so when she discovered that the killings were all vampire related. Really? If they were that desperate for a drink, they could get something on par with cheap beer over at Heme, or, you know, spend some extra money for someone like herself at Ad Gustum. Seriously, and they wondered why they weren’t getting any rights in the modern world. In her mind, life was far simpler back when she was young. People died all the time in the 1800s in Japan. It was a very familiar sight to Kumiko, even more so seeing that she was a siren.
And a siren who looked like she was in the age range to have the curfew applied to her.
Did that stop her from going out? Hell no. If some dumb vampire was ballsy enough to even look at her the wrong way, she could simply switch into a crane and fly away. Maybe even pull out her tanto that was hidden in her purse and give them something to fight for. Sorry, but people had to pay in order to taste her and she wasn’t in the mood to give out free samples. Time had escaped the young siren for the moment as she exited one of her favorite haunts in town, eyes flicking about to try and find her ride to head on back to Ad Gustum... only to find nothing. Did the idiot actually leave without her?! Thankfully she was calm and composed by nature, or else she would have been flipping her shit. Letting out an irritated sigh, she shuffled through her bag for her cellphone to call up Ad Gustum and hopefully get a new and smarter driver at her feet in ten minutes.
Though that little tap on her shoulder? Not helping. “Miss, what are you doing out this late?” It was a police man, of course. She had forgotten how young she looked and how she was going to be confused with a teen. As much as Kumiko wanted to turn around and reply that she was older than most of the idiot vampires running about, she knew revealing her identity as a siren was an even bigger risk. So instead, she turned around and played dumb. “Oh, officer! I’m just trying to get a hold of my friend. They’re late. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
“Your friend should of picked you up a half an hour ago,” the officer replied, barely impressed by her impromptu acting. “Come on, I’ll take you home.” Oh no. This was bad. She wasn’t going to let some authority figure drive her back to the vampire brothel. Kumiko wasn’t that stupid. Blinking her eyes, she did her best to keep up her act. “But... they’ll be here any second. I don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“You’re not. Come on, girly, let’s go.” And with that, the man grabbed her by the arm and began pulling. Oh, Kumiko didn’t like this one bit. Struggling with the officer, she thought for a split second that perhaps singing her way out of this would work. Why the hell did this have to be so complicated?
As soon as Val arrived in town, he set about familiarizing himself with the local night life, always a night owl despite his ability to walk during the day. Heme was high on his list, but he wanted to check out the human bars first, since he doubted vampires were stupid enough to pick them up at the vampire bar before killing them. Then again, if they had any brains at all, they would control themselves from time to time. At the rate the crime rate in this town was escalating, Val wouldn’t be surprised if there were a number of vampires that needed to be put in their place, rather than just one or two.
It was at his third destination of the evening that he ran across the young Asian girl and what Val immediately deemed a jackass policemen. And they wondered why they didn’t get respect. As the man grabbed Kumiko’s arm and began dragging her towards his vehicle, Val stepped up to the pair, blocking the policeman’s path. “Let her go,” he said, looking directly into the man’s eyes. Without protest, the man immediately released Kumiko and opened his mouth, as if to say something and couldn’t decide what. This wasn’t an unusual reaction to being persuaded by a vampire, since the man had no idea why he’d obeyed the command, and Val brushed it off as nothing. “She’s with me. Come on, darling. Let’s get you home,” he said, his attention turning now to Kumiko.
Upon hearing the male voice, Kumiko turned her head to spot the man coming towards the two of them. She realized that the second he commanded her to be released, the police officer did just that. Hmm... fascinating... The cop was either a hardcore wuss or there was something about this mysterious man that could persuade others easily. She had lived long enough to be somewhat familiar with supernaturals and she knew that in this day and age, such things weren’t a fluke or a coincidence. Though now was not the time to figure out what was going on and she instantly jumped right into this game of charades. “Oh, there you are!” She perked up, bouncing on over to him and lacing her arm around his. Kumiko smiled up at him with a tiny giggle and a twinkle in her eyes. “I thought you’d never come and get me.” A tiny pout formed on her face before looking on over to the cop and shooting a ‘Ha ha, told you so!’ look. It didn’t occur to her that perhaps this new man could be a threat to her. He wasn’t a cop so therefore he was leaps and bounds better. She could hold her own either way.
Kumiko kept up the cute facade for a while, walking down the street with the man, still clinging onto his arm like he was her boyfriend or something. It was then she noticed he was a bit colder than normal, but it didn’t fully register with her that perhaps he wasn’t human. Besides, she was too concerned about that cop right then. Looking over her shoulder once they were far down enough to barely see the pathetic authority figure, she rolled her eyes and looked on up to the man who saved her, “You’d think they’d have something better to do with their time, like eat more donuts.” She scoffed a bit with a tiny smirk as she loosened the grip on his arm. “Thank you. You truly don’t know how much I appreciate such a kind gesture like that.” Seriously, damn looking like she was a teenager. It annoyed her to no end when people didn’t take her seriously.
The cop was furious, Val could sense that. His heart was beating a million miles a minute, but he didn’t dare interfere again when he wasn’t sure of his own mind. That was something Val always enjoyed about gentle persuasion-- a human didn’t know why they’d done what they’d done, but they never realized it was Val’s doing. It was just another perk of all vampire families being different. With no widespread rules, humans still didn’t know what to watch out for. “I’d rather them mistake you for a teenager than have to carry supernatural identification, wouldn’t you?” he asked, looking down at her with a little smirk. He hadn’t known upon approaching the scene that she was a siren, but having her linked arm and arm with him he could smell her. Oh, it was intoxicating, but not something he needed to mess with.
Well now, that made the siren raise a delicate eyebrow up. He definitely knew that she wasn’t human somehow. It was then that she realized his arm was far too cold in the middle of a summer night. That icy touch was one she knew to associate with vampires. She had only been with Katsuo four years, him being her benefactor and all, and now working at Ad Gustum, she grew used to the chill, almost numb to it. Not numb enough, for she could pick up on it. Her dark eyes flicked on up to his and she smiled sweetly. “No. I believe that would do me more harm than good these days. It requires much discipline to hold my tongue and not give these people a piece of my mind when they try treating me like a kid.” Especially that male cop. Oh, how she wanted to snap his neck and watch him lay in a pool of blood. “Not you, though,” she giggled gently, almost in a teasing way as she patted his arm, once again reminded of that chill. “You seem rather confident for a man who’s walking the streets tonight.”
“I have nothing to be afraid of,” Val said, amusement in his smile. As far as he was concerned, he had no natural predators and he’d done nothing in this town to provoke the local hunters. If vampire attacks were the problem Scarlet Oak was having, then he wasn’t the natural target. She might have been, but Val knew most vampires wouldn’t risk attacking a siren. They were wildly unpredictable and more likely to add magic to their arsenal than any other species he could think of. “I’m sure that they’ll put some kind of lock down on vampires if the death toll increases, but locking us in at night would be akin to house arrest. I hope to get it under control before it comes to that.” At which point, even he would have a hard time not arguing with the local authority.
A lock down on vampires? Did he really just suggest that?! The thought made Kumiko’s heart pick up a bit, not liking the idea of losing all her clients at Ad Gustum because a few retard vampires unable to keep their shit together. Ugh, and the thought that some of them were almost as old as she was just stunned her. Really now, how the hell did they live all these years and get away with being blatantly pathetic? But once she got over that concept, she picked up on something - he admitted to being a vampire. Well now, someone was definitely confident in themselves. She liked that in the older men. That and he did not sound American one bit, thus making Kumiko perk up some more. “So you’re going to come in and save the day all by yourself? Such a valiant effort on your behalf.” How on earth he was going to do that was beyond her, but at least there was a sane vampire out there who didn’t approve of this nonsense. They could always go to Ad Gustum if they really needed a drink. Kumiko didn’t mind one bit. “So, does the righteous white knight have a name?” It was the least she could get from him. Perhaps she could pass it onto Domina, for she knew the madame was pissed over what was going on.
Val laughed. If he could resolve this issue alone, then that would be splendid, but he doubted it was anything that simple. “I doubt I can do it on my own unless it’s a single vampire causing all this fuss. All that requires is a silver knife and leather gloves,” he smirked, willingly showing his fangs. “I do hope there are some locals that I can convince to assist me, though, in which case I hope to get it under control. This is the kind of behavior that should be stomped out before it causes a wildfire we can’t put out.” The world was actively looking for reason to assume that vampires were dangerous and should be exterminated. While Val completely agreed with the first part of that sentiment, he would do everything he could to prevent that later, even if it meant fooling humanity into believing a lie. He’d gone 200 years without having to deal much in Styx business, but now he’d been deemed old enough to help out. Now there were actual problems to deal with. “Valentin Deveroux, at your service,” he said. “And your name, lovely song bird?”
Ah, there were those lovely fangs. He was an interesting vampire - different from the clients she usually received. Then again, he looked upscale enough to have some money on him, so perhaps he could afford someone like herself. Though now wasn’t the time to be thinking about a potential... wait, maybe it was. He was looking for like-minded people and well, he was currently escorting one back home. Her lips curled up into more of a smirk as he spoke, rather liking his name, as well. Anything but American. Wow, could he win anymore brownie points tonight? Even if he called her a song bird, which made her groan mentally - she was a crane, not a freaking song bird that couldn’t do shit but look pretty and never shut up - he was still stroking her ego enough to emit a slight purr. “Kumiko Arisugawa,” she slowed down to give him a gracious bow, then went back to walking along his side. “And I’m sure you will find plenty of people on the same level as yourself, Mr. Deveroux. You happen to be looking at one of them.” There was that innocent giggle of hers again. God, she loved acting innocent like this. “And I might even know of a good handful of people willing to assist you on your crusade.”
As she bowed, Val’s mind immediately went to geisha. Were she old enough to be one, it would definitely make sense, as she had the grace and poise of Japan’s famous concubines. He had always wished to see them, but by the time he got to Japan they were more for show than realism. If she was geisha, then there was a high possibility that she was even older than him. That had Val’s attention, and he bowed back out of respect. Women were still beneath him, but he knew how to treat an elder, regardless of gender. “Any assistance you can provide would be much appreciated, Miss Arisugawa. I had planned on making my way over to Heme tomorrow night, but there’s no guarantee I’ll find what I’m looking for over there.” He still had no real idea how many vampires might be residing in Scarlet Oak. It was a small town, so he would normally guess there couldn’t be more than ten, but based upon the attacks and the presence of a vampire bar, he had the feeling the number might be far higher.
Oh Heme... such a silly little place. She supposed that if vampires only had a twenty to spare on blood, then that was the place to go to, but it was so much better from the source. Besides, she had yet to have a customer complain. When Val brought up the vampire blood, she averted her gaze to let out a polite laugh, then looked back to him. “And here I thought you had a little bit more taste than to go to a bar to satisfy your needs,” she teased him, clicking her tongue while shaking her head. Yes, she was a geisha and was entirely fluent in the art of teasing and seduction. Subtle movements were all it took to grab someone’s attention and Kumiko was fully aware of every tiny detail in everything she did. She hoped her words were enough to perk his interest. Who knew, maybe she could assist him beyond hunting down the crazy vampires.
“And who said I was looking for blood at Heme?” Val asked with a grin. His visit wasn’t for dinner, but to meet other vampires. Even if they weren’t the ones committing the crimes, they would be able to introduce him to the other vampires in town. Since the other option was asking around, Val saw this as a much better option. It could possibly hand him half the vampires on a silver platter, so to speak. “I admit to being old fashioned when it comes to feeding. The idea of drinking blood from a bottle seems...” Desperate. Cheap. Lazy. “...Uncreative.” He smiled as he said it, feeling almost as if she’d catch the unsaid thoughts instead. It would be in poor taste to talk down on the vampires that were keeping to the law when he was supposed to enforce it. Val had been drinking from the source for over two hundred years. Nothing was going to stop him now, certainly not some petty human law.
Hearing Val talk about feeding from the source somehow excited the siren girl. This man was by far client potential. That and she was certain that he and Domina would get along fine when it came to maintaining a good reputation for vampires. No vampires in Scarlet Oak meant no business in Ad Gustum. Oh, she was certain they would figure it out, but it would be even more illegal. Kumiko was already killing people on and off that came to Ad Gustum to satisfy her needs. There was no need to make anything more risky than it already was. She fell silent for a while, taking that time to pick her words wisely, not wanting to rub this man the wrong way. She might have been older and thus had more experience under her belt, but she knew vampires were far stronger and faster than she could ever dream of being. The last thing Kumiko wanted was to stroke him the wrong way and then break out into a fight. Then again, she had to remind herself that this wasn’t Katsuo. Not by any means. “Nothing wrong with being old fashioned. Traditions are upheld today for a reason, you know - they prove to be useful. And I believe I can be more of use to you than rally up my contacts to help you on your quest.” Her dark eyes locked onto his, her steps slowly down slightly. “I know a place where you can be as creative as you want with your feeding.”
Oh, God, it felt wrong to want this woman, looking not a day over seventeen for the years she might have. Talk like that was always a turn on and she immediately had his interest peeked, wondering what it was exactly she might be referring to. Once again he thought of the geisha and, as improbable as it seemed, he hoped that might tie in. That she was a siren he chose to ignore for the moment, hoping they were both aware of the consequences that came with him feeding from one like her. “You have my attention,” he said, his eyes looking back into hers. “Would you like to tell me about it? Or could I convince you to show me?” Perhaps he was being a touch too presumptuous, but he was willing to take his chances. She was old enough to know she was being alluring, so why play the game if that wasn’t her intention?
Kumiko was fully aware of what her blood did to those who fed from her. It made it that much more interesting with her clients and she had a couple of bruises under the layers of make-up to prove it. She saw the flicker of interest in her eyes and it only made her smile more. “You don’t have to do much to convince me to show you,” Kumiko purred back at him. “It’s actually rather convenient, seeing that we’re on our way there. Just a couple more minutes and you’ll see.” True, she could have told him right then and there, but he was a vampire and thus welcomed at the mansion. Even if he didn’t do anything that night, he would know that the place existed and where to find Kumiko or any of the other lovely ladies if the urge ever came up. Of course, Kumiko was going to be manipulative and try to get more clients to herself. Why fool around with those silly girls when she made out of nothing but liquid sex? Really now. “Think you have the patience to wait, Val?”
He came to a sudden stop, his arm snaking around her waist as he pulled her against him. She was a petite little thing, but he could feel the heat of her body all the way through his clothes. This might be pushing it, but while he didn’t want to anger the siren, the temptations she offered were too irresistible not to act on immediately. “Perhaps you’ll give me a little taste to hold me over,” he said, leaning in towards her. A kiss was what he wanted, but a real taste would be superb. It also might make him hurry their walk along just to get more. The only real issue was how hyped up it would make him, but she wouldn’t offer what she couldn’t take on. If necessary, he could give her some of his blood, just to heal the bruises he was sure to create.
The siren bit at her lip lightly upon hearing Val’s request. It wasn’t often she had someone ask that of her. Her eyes locked onto his, she smirked a bit more at this concept. Sadly for Val, she wasn’t going to openly give him a sample of her blood on the streets. Not when there were already other vampires around draining people. And she was fully aware of what siren blood would do the minute it hit his tongue, thus she didn’t want to deal with those consequences for the rest of the way back. Not to mention she wasn’t giving out a bite for free! She was expensive! Though if Val couldn’t bite her, then Kumiko had other things in mind. Snuggling a bit against him, one hand resting against his chest, she brought her other hand up to his lips and pressed a finger against him. “Well, I suppose I could give you a taste, seeing you rescued me and all.” After she teased him with her voice, she dropped the hand from his lips and eased her way up to lock lips with him. A slow, deep kiss with her tongue barely flicking out to taste his lips in the process. And when she pulled away, Kumiko made sure to pull away slowly, tugging at his lower lip slightly all the while. “Will that do?” She asked while easing back down, rather hoping he didn’t launch onto her neck for blood that very minute. Everything was going so smoothly that she didn’t want anything to mess up.
Val might have wanted her blood, but he didn’t expect it, and was pleased to settle for a kiss in this instance. Her lips were soft and sweet, reminding him of honey, and if she’d wanted to stay and kiss him some more, then he would not have objected. At this point, he’d follow her home whether she liked it or not. “Definitely,” he answered softly, her taste lingering on his lips. She was far too good at what she did for this to be her first time flirting with a vampire of his age, but that made her even more intriguing. Much as he didn’t want to pull away, he realized they would never get to where they were going if he didn’t release her, so his hands slid away from her sides and he took her arm once more. He would have never have bit her against her will, not in this sort of situation. It wasn’t his style when he wanted to remain on good terms with someone. “This place we’re going to, you live there?” he asked, trying to get a feel for the set up. There was a lot that was unclear on that front and he didn’t want to be caught off guard.
A seductive giggle escaped the siren upon hearing that he approved. Good to see that she still had it in her, even after all of these years. Unlike most of the girls at Ad Gustum, Kumiko perhaps has the most experienced with vampires, seeing she had met Katsuo in the 1800s. Sure, there were people like that blonde dominatrix that specialized in vampires, but they didn’t have 200 plus years of it. Kumiko liked to think that gave her an edge and while she enjoyed the company of her female peers, she still viewed it as rivalry and wanted all the success to herself. God forbid if another siren had the balls to step foot on Ad Gustum turf. “That it is,” Kumiko responded with a nod, rather amused that he continued to wrap his arm around hers. Such a gentleman. It was a treat in comparison to some of the pigs she came across on the streets. “I also work at home, so I hope you don’t mind the mess.” And by mess she meant various other whores walking up and down the hallways in lingerie or sometimes nothing at all. “What about you? Where’s home for you?” Not just in the sense of where in the area he lived, but where he came from. That accent wasn’t American and she couldn’t put her finger on it.
He couldn’t imagine the mess that she spoke of, primarily because he assumed she would be surrounded by like-minded creatures. Val didn’t necessarily need to surround himself with high class, but it could be far more enjoyable at times, especially if he was expecting conversation out of them. On the other hand, he wouldn’t have been bothered by barely clothes women running around either. “Home home?” he asked, assuming she didn’t mean the house he’d just moved in to there in town. “Eighteenth century Paris, originally. Since then, I’ve lived in a number of places, with my favorites usually being the big cities. Scarlet Oak is different for me, but far more interesting than other towns it’s size.” No other town in the US was having this kind of vampire problem, that was certain. Most didn’t have enough vampires to cause a problem, and if they did then they were smart enough not to kill close to home. What the Scarlet Oak vampires were thinking was beyond him, but he’d nip it in the bud as soon as possible, and probably have fun doing it.
Ooooo, he was French! Didn’t the French kick some American ass at some point? She couldn’t remember, but at least he wasn’t from this godforsaken country. Massive brownie points. Though knowing that she was older than him - way older than him - made Kumiko let out a genuine chuckle. Part of her wanted to tease him and tell him which century she was from, but she knew better than that. The fact he picked up on what she was was dangerous enough. “I should have known. You look so polished. Wouldn’t expect anything less from a Frenchman.” And she also approved of the fact he frequented the cities, just like herself. “When I first came here and was able to travel freely, I went directly to the metropolitan areas. So much life and excitement.” Those were two things that Kumiko always had to have or else she would have been bored easily. A little town like Scarlet Oak held no interest to her, save for her career. If it wasn’t for that, she would have still been in Detroit. “Probably not as much traveling as you, though. Stayed in Japan for a vast majority of my life.”
“I developed a taste for the finer things in life when I was still human. I’ve never been able to let them go,” Val said with a little laugh. It was his taste that had almost gotten him killed, being born into the aristocracy just before the French Revolution. Having watched his family lose their heads did a number on one’s sanity, but he was generally good at hiding such things. His taste, though, never changed, even after spending a decade hiding what he was in order to escape chaos that was France at the time. “Japan is a beautiful country unlike any of the others I’ve frequented. I have business there, and the only reason I don’t visit more often is the travel time.” Being locked up in a plane for that long was never a good idea, though it was better than the days when they had to travel by boat. That had been horrible, and something Val had avoided as often as possible. “How did you come to live in Scarlet Oak?”
Wait, he had been to Japan?! At first, Kumiko swore he was saying this to win more brownie points, but he seemed rather genuine. Hell, he was upfront about being a vampire, so why not? It made her heart flutter to hear him call her home country beautiful. Oh, and she wished she could go back. Though sadly, America was in better health than Japan was post-WWII. Had she gone back to her home, she would have been greeted with shambles. While she hated America, it was booming out of control and she took full advantage of that and the stupid residents she manipulated. “Do you now? Any business in Japan is good business. I hear everything is marvelous over there.” Even if they caved in and westernized everything about their way of life. And speaking of business... “I was offered a job here that I couldn’t pass up. And you’ll get to see what I do very shortly.” Kumiko brought a hand up to trace her fingers lightly over his jawline, smiling seductively before turning her gaze on out ahead. She could see the mansion at the end of the street now. Would be long until she introduced Val to what she more or less liked to call paradise.
He ran a casino, which he wasn’t entirely sure she would think was marvelous, but business was business. It certainly wasn’t the only casino in Tokyo, though it was one of the best. When it came to his work, Val didn’t do anything half-ass. If he did his job well, he could spend most of his time living off the investment portion, which was really what he preferred. “You’ve certainly captured my attention,” he smiled, enjoying this little game and very much looking forward to seeing where it was that she worked. The closer they drew, the more he kept his eyes open for where they might be going. Seeing as how they’d moved into a more residential neighborhood, it had to be a house they were walking to, though Val wasn’t sure which one, until he spotted the mansion at the end of the street. There were no signs that it should be their final destination, but it looked like the sort of place that would suit Kumiko, beautiful and dangerous at the same time.
It wasn’t long until they were walking up to the front door of the mansion, at which Kumiko took out a key from her bag and unlocked it, letting the vampire follow her on in. It was lavish, of course, and probably didn’t look like a whorehouse in any sense of the word. The receptionist at the front looked up from her work and eyed Kumiko with slight shock. “Miss Arisugawa! Good to see you back. Did you-”
“I will have you know that the new chauffeur is a hot mess and I’m being kind when I say that. He had the audacity to leave me high and dry while being bullied by an officer. However, I had this lovely gentleman escort me home. So let what’s-his-face know that if he doesn’t straighten up his act, I’ll be sure to terminate his job myself.” Giving a smile to the receptionist, she shrugged off her trench-coat to the doorman that was there, revealing more of the extravagant dress she was wearing and brought her attention back to Val with a flip of her hair. “Welcome to Ad Gustum, Val. The best brothel and escort service for vampires you’ll find in all of Michigan. Please, make yourself at home.”
Val smirked as he listened on, his eyes taking on each little detail of the set up. He was feeling an itch to steal her key and told himself to hold off for the time being. Instead he busied himself with counting the number of bulbs on the chandelier, then the number of steps on the stairs. By that time Kumiko was speaking to him again, and he was once again plotting the theft of her key. “This is hardly what I would have expected from a brothel,” he told her with a smile. That was probably why she’d held off on telling him until they arrived there. Val would have drawn his own conclusions and might not have followed her home. Now he was glad that he had. “Is there any kind of special procedure for my gaining entrance?” he asked.
Kumiko smiled upon hearing his question, rather glad to hear that he now had interest in the place. Who wouldn’t? “All you have to do is talk to the receptionist and make an appointment, either by phone or in person. And if you’d like something specialized, you can always talk to the madame, Domina. She makes sure everyone is pleased here. All of us here have our specialties. Yours truly is the resident siren and geisha.” Kumiko then bowed politely to him. “Though there is quite a selection, so I’m sure you’ll find something to suit your tastes.” Secretly, she hoped that she perked his interest enough to suit his tastes. The siren girl grew jealous rather quickly. She found Val first, therefore it was only right in her mind that she claimed first dibs, if not dibs altogether. Then again, that was his call, not hers.
“Do I need an appointment tonight?” Val asked, raising a brow. He would pay if it was required, but being turned away at this point would put him in a rather poor mood. She’d gotten him all wound up and he wanted a taste, dammit. There was also the question as to what came with the blood; though he’d always associated the term brothel with sex, he didn’t want to out step his boundaries. He could always come back, but he couldn’t promise that he’d have the appetite to try out a siren at that time.
Clients were free to do whatever they wanted, as long as it wasn’t putting any of the prostitutes in danger. The slaves, on the other hand, were game for anything, mostly against their will. Once the words left Val, Kumiko raised an eyebrow, intrigued with the question. “You can consider this your consultation, if you will.” That said, she turned on her heels to start walking in the direction of her room, her eyes lingering on his as if silently telling him to follow her. Why wouldn’t he at this point? Even if it was night time, Kumiko was far from tired. She was used to late night clients like this, too. Besides, this was one hell of a way to introduce a newcomer to Ad Gustum.