Finally A Night Out. (RiffWrath)

[Anja Drake]

“I knew it! I knew you had him in here!” Melina exclaimed as she came rushing into the bathroom, attaching adjacently to Anja’s room, with dried and folded swim trunk in her hand. Anja looked up at the girl with a look of undeniable confusion; she was going to play the whole situation dumb until she realized Melina had Mel’s swim wear in hand. Instantly her entire composer fell and her cheeks grew red as her chittery friend started a list of questions that would surpass any celebrity party guest list.
<o></o>
“Why didn’t you tell me? What were you thinking? You know you broke the rules? There are no boys allowed in the girl’s dorm rooms. You barely no him. What was going through your head, Anj?” Mel began to wave the shorts around like it disgusted her. “Anja, I’m here for you and you didn’t feel like you need to tell me thi-…”
<o></o>
A playful smack to the face caught Melina off guard and to Anja’s ideal plan…shut her up for the time being.
<o></o>
“First of all, Melina, nothing happened. We just talked. I didn’t tell you because you would go on a question spree like you have just done.” Anja noticed that her friend was beginning to come back to reality; the shock of being slapped was wearing off. “I know it’s against policy to have males in the female dorm rooms but what do you expect me to do?”
<o></o>
Melina set the trunks down of the sink counter and gave Anja a more sobered look…her scorn didn’t last long because a smile came to her lips and she suddenly jumped on Anja, enveloping her in a bruising hug.
<o></o>
“Anja, you’re so lucky! I wish I was you…you sly dog you.” Anja gasped for breath when Mel released her; Mel looked her up and down, another smile coming to her lips. Anja’s apparel left no question on what she planned to do for the night… “You…going somewhere tonight?”
<o></o>
Anja blushed slightly at the words; she wore a fine black dress, covering just enough of her thighs to be considered not trashy but still vaguely elegant. The dress didn’t really have a neck line because the black fabric was made to hug the shoulders; leaving the tips of her shoulders and upper chest exposed. Her chocolate brown hair was swept up and pinned to one side of her head with a slightly jeweled pendent; few tousles of hair fell down across her shoulder. A long silver necklace was wrapped twice around Anja's neck and only seemed to accent the simple beauty of the dress. “Maybe I am.”
<o></o>
“Oh goodness, it’s a date?!”
<o></o>
The Italian barely had time to react as Mel hurried herself in and around the dorm room; the speed mutant insisted on helping Anja with her make up (although Anja never really used much). The process of getting her all gussied up took a bit longer than expected and so, she half rushed out of her room; black purse and Pea coat in hand.
<o></o>
She wound her way through the empty halls until she finally found the main marble stair case; where she descended into the grand lobby of the mansion…

[RiffWrath]

As the time ticked down throughout the day, anxiousness found its way into Mel's system. Soon, it transformed into a nervousness. This was Anja and his first actual night out, and he had heard through the grapevine that this was going to be a formal affair.

Nervous as ever, Mel found himself smoking a cigarette about an hour before meeting her. He was still confused, not sure of what to wear. Whether he should go full out with the tux, or the Dockers and a nice polo shirt, or just as he was.

After his smoke, Mel decided that it would be best for him to go all out. If all else failed, he could make some quick adjustments to dress down a bit. Smiling, Mel stubbed out the smoking butt of the cigarette, and went to a zippered bag. It was still a fresh suit, practically brand new. Armani, long cut, traditional black with a white cotton undershirt and a black silk vest, complete with tie, platinum cufflinks, white velvet gloves, a matching white scarf and an awesome black-felt fedora. Laying it upon the bed, Mel hit the showers.

With thirty minutes to spare, Mel readied himself, making sure everything was perfect, even down to the platinum Rolex watch, the matching Armani shoes and even Armani's cologne. It was Code or something. Mel splashed on a small amount. His old man always taught him that a little often went a long way......

Mel sighed. His old man. The former rocker found himself wondering just how his family was doing. He hadn't heard anything from his brother in awhile, and he called regularly, at least once a month. Mel sighed, and shook away his troubles. Dammit, nothin's gonna ruin this night. Preparing himself, he tied his shoes, adjusted his cufflinks, straightened his collar, readjusted his hair, and fitted the fedora up top before flicking off the lightswitch, and heading for the door. A last minute pop of some mints and he was off to the foyer of the mansion.

With ten minutes to spare, Mel found himself actually beating Anja there. I'm on time!? What the hell? I'm never on time! Go me! Smiling a bit in spite of himself, Mel leaned against the low wall, bracing himself at the foot of the stairs. He adjusted his scarf again, and looked up. Still not there. He wasn't worried in the least. Even if he was stood up, which he wouldn't be, he still looked great, and felt even better.

After another five minutes, Mel heard the clacking of high heels, and looked up to see Anja there, complete in black dress and silver accessories. His jaw nearly dropped. Nearly. He found his center, and made the realization that she had dressed up less for the occasion, and more for him. Still awed by the thought, his powers seemed to act up, making the air around him seem to hum with anticipation, with excitement. If her hearing was as good as he thought it was, she would surely be able to almost "see" him and his clothing. His ignorance of the slight reverberation in his powers was a result of his excitement, of the awe-striking presence that Anja created. He could only utter one word, as she began making her way down the final set of stairs.

"Wow."

[Anja Drake]

Descending down the marble steps was something from a dream; her high heeled shoes held comfortable to her feet with an intricately laced ribbon that tied around her thin ankle…they clicked very ladylike against the solid stone as she hovered close to the white marble rail.
<o></o>
Melina helped Anja pick out the unique accessories that went with her outfit; silver necklace that hung, long and elegant over around her neck and over her bosom, slim jewel less earrings that gently brushed against her shoulders, and finally an array for silver bracelets that clinked ever so softly when she moved her hands.
<o></o>
Her demeanor was calm but didn’t last long; her heart began to pound when she sensed him. He always made her heart race and it was possibly the most exhilarating experience ever.
<o></o>
She reached the last step and managed to breath; she stepped down and smiled widely at Mel. Even through her blindness she could tell he looked sharp; she really hoped that he didn’t go through too much trouble to make get ready for this night.
<o></o>
“Good evening, Signore Lodeus. I hope you have been well.” She grinned, her accent playing strongly across her words.

[RiffWrath]

At first, the shock of seeing her "all dolled up" kept him speechless. But, perhaps it was being a performer, or just being able to keep his cool, that allowed him to quickly and almost seemlessly regain himself, without a moment's pause.

"Well, I am doin' much better now, Madame Drake. You look amazing."

Thank God I went for the Armani. Dockers and a polo-shirt wouldn't've compared to her! Mel smiled, pulling her close for a small kiss on the lips. After less than a second, he pulled away.

"Where to, Milady?"

[Anja Drake]

She stole a longer greeting kiss before she answered him; letting him know exactly how much she missed him lately. They parted and Anja’s lips twitched up into a coy grin.
<o></o>
“We’re going to the City.” By city, she meant <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>lace</st1></st1:city><st1:city w:st="on"><st1> New York City</st1></st1:city>; the drive was a decent one and it was going to be a very long night, she hoped Mel wouldn’t mind that they were taking a cab, she could and would pay for it. “I found a place that sounded great but not too upscale or expensive.”
<o></o>
The Italian’s eyes sparkled as she chuckled some. “After all, we are only students….well, at least I am.”
<o></o>
Her hand tucked itself into the crook of his elbow, clasping onto him gently; she wouldn’t lean on him like some blind people did. He wouldn’t have to be troubled about dealing with her blindness, she would be able to get around fine; even though, the last time she was in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>New York City</st1></st1:city>, it had been a whole different experience and one she didn’t want to relive anytime soon.
<o></o>
The two of them walked close out of the mansion, their shadows danced beautifully along the walkway to the already waiting cab at the Institutes main gate.
<o></o>
She smiled up at Mel. “I hope you like Italian. We’re going to I Trulli Ristorante down on <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">East 27^th Street</st1:address></st1:street>.”

[RiffWrath]

Mel enjoyed their kiss completely, and felt his heart practically ache as their lips parted. But that ache was dulled by seeing her, especially as cute as she was in that black, knock-'em-dead dress.


“I hope you like Italian. We’re going to I Trulli Ristorante down on <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1 /><ST1:STREET w:st="on"><ST1:ADDRESS w:st="on">East 27<SUP>th</SUP> Street</ST1:ADDRESS></ST1:STREET>.”

"Ya kiddin' me? I've got some Italian in me somewhere. I hope they have breadsticks. I love breadsticks. Maybe a little vino as well."

They took the cab. Mel tried to pay, but was pretty much strong-armed by Anja. Which was fine; they'd look strange being so well dressed and coming out of his beat-up, stoner-styled, gray Econoline van. Somewhere between the school and their destination, Mel looked over to Anja.

"This your first time to the City?"<!-- / message -->

[Anja Drake]

The sudden tensing of her shoulders was all too obvious especially with the wide necked dress.
<o></o>
“N-No.” Her voice was slightly strained and she subtly began to fidget as the taxi cab bumped along. “I’ve been there before…last year, with an ‘old friend’.”
<o></o>
She pressed her hands together in her lap in order to calm herself. Artisn was someone totally different than Mel, but then...also so similar. The feelings didn’t compare between what she felt when Mel touched her or when Artisn had; Mel was the real deal…but then again, that’s what she thought about Art.
<o></o>
Anja stayed quiet, she didn’t want to think much about the situation that had long past, but…is was hard not to. Instead she put on a poorly constructed façade to cover her angst; she wanted to enjoy this evening, not destroy it with old pain-filled memories.
<o></o>
Her hands brushed imaginary specks of dust off her flawless dress, trying to be herself; though... she didn't return his gaze. “Have you ventured to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>New York City</st1> </st1:city>before?”

[RiffWrath]

Mel looked out the window, gazing at the cityscape.

"Not since I was in the band. We had quite a few gigs here at clubs and stuff. Also had a small concert on a rooftop, plus some music video shots throughout the city. Fun stuff, I guess. I was a little too drunk to remember much...."

Mel hated to admit it, but felt like Anja deserved his honesty. Furthermore, he felt it best to distract her; something didn't seem right about his question. Most likely, it was the old friend. Probably a boyfriend or something that ended it badly; he either lived here, or they had some past issues here. Mel wasn't sure, but the last thing he wanted to do was ruin her night with his prying. He merely smiled, taking her hand in his.

"I'm glad I'm sober now. I can better enjoy the company."

[Anja Drake]

Anja laced her fingers with his and gently leaned her head on his shoulder; the feeling was amazing…Mel was just so warm and safe. Her eyes closed, sighing deeply; there were moments when she thought about what he said to her one their first ‘date’. He had said he loved her and even now, just replaying the words in her head made her heart race wildly.
<o></o>
The yellow cab hit a small bumped suddenly, making her big, hazel eyes reopen. Did she love him too?
<o></o>
The ride lasted a bit longer than she expected but the two of them had ridden along in a comfortable silence. When they reached the edge of the city, she repeated the address of the restaurant to the driver. He acknowledged her, but barely….probably due to the fact that he had picked them up at a mutant school…
<o></o>
They began to go further and further into the depths of the city. The light emitting even made Anja flinch at the sudden brightness. She looked out the window, seeing nothing but moving bright grey shapes. Still, she knew the sight had to be beautiful.

[RiffWrath]

The sight might've been beautiful, if it weren't for the fact of the sudden light that left sunspots blinking in and out of Mel's vision. He rubbed his eyes for what seemed like an eternity before he could finally get his vision together.

He was amazed at what he saw, and only one word came to his lips. A word that he found himself saying more and more when Anja was concerned.

"Wow."

[Anja Drake]

Anja nodded at his statement.
<o></o>
“<st1:state w:st="on"><st1>New York</st1> </st1:state>is something I will never really get used to.” She said softly. “It’s just so much going on and its hard focus on anything.”
<o></o>
She continued to look out the window, the lights still passing by relatively quickly; meaning they haven’t hit many traffic problems yet. She leaned forward toward the cab drivers seat.
<o></o>
“Excuse me, I’m sorry, but how much longer do we have?”
<o></o>
The driver turned his head slightly and acknowledged her; he had an accent she couldn’t quite place but it sounded every Middle Eastern. “About another fifteen minutes, miss.”
<o></o>
She smiled, “Thank you.”
<o></o>
And she sat back into Mel. This time she smiled at her companion. “How was your day?”

[RiffWrath]

Mel smiled similarly, stroking her right cheek with his hand.

"It was fun. I did some skeet shooting with my powers. And then I saw another guy, who was slinging skeet for me. His name was Nuro; he could transmute things. He created this cool jetpack, and then when I went to try it, it turned into a cinder-block backpack. Hittin' the ground hurt. But it wasn't on purpose, and I'm tougher than I look. But I must say, my day has suddenly gotten much better, now that you're here, and dressed to kill."

He kissed her lightly, their lips barely meeting, before he drew away.

"How 'bout yours?"

[Anja Drake]

“Oh, I hope you didn’t hurt yourself too badly.”
<o></o>
She frowned slightly as her hand patted the top of his knee.
<o></o>
“Well, I had an awful night’s sleep; so I was up early and decided to talk a walk around campus. I only got lost a few times but I managed to find my way back to the Institute.” She grinned sheepishly. “I met a new student, too. I had to show her to the cafeteria but after that I decided to take a nap…”
<o></o>
Her hand remained on his knee and she gave it a gentle squeeze.
<o></o>
“Overall, it wasn’t that interesting of a day.”

[RiffWrath]

Mel enjoyed her company, placing his arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure the night will at least make up for the hum-drum day. My day, aside from that little incident, was strangely tame. I don't think I'm still quite used to my days being so....I dunno, serene? It seems too calm. But it gives me time to work on my control, so all is good, I guess."

Mel found himself reprocessing where they were going.

"East Twenty-Seventh? Isn't that Little Italy?"

[Anja Drake]

The expression of thought crossed Anja’s features; she bit her lip in question.
<o></o>
“I’m not sure. It could be.” She smiled coyly; <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>New York City </st1></st1:city> was just one of those places where Anja didn’t know a whole lot about.
<o></o>
The cab began to slow and the driver looked back. “The restaurant is right around the corner; we’ll be there shortly.”
<o></o>
Anja thanked him and leaned into Mel, just to enjoy a little bit more of his warmth.
<o></o>
“I hope your hungry, bebè.”

[RiffWrath]

Mel smiled, pulling himself closer to Anja.

"Hungrier than you realize, Anj."

Mel kissed the left side of her neck, before looking back around. He wanted to know where exactly they were going, and the landmarks around. Maybe he'd been there before....in his previous, rock star life.

[Anja Drake]

She rested her hand on his thigh; she wasn’t sure if he meant his statement seriously or suggestively. Either way, it made her giddy inside.
<o></o>
The cab pulled up to the curb on the one way street in front of the restaurant. The cabbie looked back with a thin smile. “We have reached your destination.”
<o></o>
“Thank you.” Anja flashed a smile and tipped him through the window.
<o></o>
She reached out to open the door. “You ready?”

[RiffWrath]

As Anja reached outward, Mel already had the door.

"Absolutely. I could use some good Italian."

He stepped easily out of the cab first, turning around to offer her a hand out, as a gentleman should.

[Anja Drake]

She accepted his hand and stepped out of the cab; she loved the way it felt when he held her hand. Anja tucked her arm through his as they walked up the steps to the entrance door.
<o></o>
The door was swung open and the smell of delicious pasta and Italian spices filled her and she immediately felt at home.
<o></o>
They walked into a homey, warm place; a fireplace gave an aroma of such…comfort.
<o></o>
A man dressed in a white dress shirt and black slacks approached the couple.
<o></o>
“Miss Drake.” Anja smiled and gave a slight nod. “Your table is this way.”
<o></o>
The man led them to the back of the restaurant; a small booth separated from the rest of the restaurant. Candles were scattered about and she could help but smile.
<o></o>
The man motioned for them to sit before he spoke, mostly addressing Mel. “Would you like wine for you and lady?”

[RiffWrath]

Mel looked over to Anja for cues, but was scarcely able to find any. So, Mel went with it.

"Yes, we'd love some wine."

Pulling up a chair for Anja, he motioned towards the chair with his open hand. Even though she was blind, she essentially functioned like someone with sight, able to pick up even the slightest gestures. And the fact that Mel's latent ability was constantly humming and vibrating the very molecules around him probably made it even easier for her to sense him and his movements.