Party time!

"I can barely eat what you put on my plate!" Nari protested to Michael. "How am I supposed to eat all of it? I can't let it go to waste..." Truly, her stomach still wasn't used to eating so much yet.

"Honey..." Nari stared at the golden honey, her eyes widening some in her delight. It had definitely been far too long since she'd last tasted honey. She dipped her spoon into the jar, then let some drizzle onto her fingertip. Said finger quickly went into her mouth and she savored the taste, closing her eyes and giving a small moan of delighted pleasure as she sucked her fingertip clean. "Ohhhh... that's so good." She dipped the spoon into the honey again, and this time transferred a spoonful into her cup of tea, stirring it in. "Thank you Radu... though, you weren't reading my mind there, were you? About me wanting honey for my tea?" After all, she hadn't verbalized her desire for honey.

"Pray forgive me, dear one. I did not 'read', precisely. I simply overheard. I fear you broadcast your desire for it rather loudly. I simply couldn't ignore it." Radu sighed, though his eyes were bright with amusement over her reaction. "I shall endeavor to disregard such things in the future if you would prefer it."

Naitachel looked over what remained on his plate, noted it wasn't present, then looked back over at where it waited among the other foodstuffs. He couldn't be too sure, but that creamy stuff seemed to be starting to melt, and what those wafer-cones next to it were for was beyond him... and what were those odd side-bowls of chopped nuts and sprinkles for? And... chocolate sauce? But wasn't it already sweet enough?

"I suspect not, Brianna. That is that whitish substance, is it not? Just how does one consume that one? It appears to be melting already, even before one serves it..."

Feeling Radu return to his side, Naitachel slipped a hand into the vampire's, to give it a warm squeeze. So much to learn, and discover... and here, it was mundane for them. He wondered idly if he could ever make up for so much lost time... both with all the changes in the world--and his mate.

Michael watched, his mouth hanging open, as Nari sucked her fingers clean. Oh boy, was he in trouble with this one. As she addressed Radu, he finally managed to force his jaw shut with an audible click.

"I think I might start calling you Honey instead of Rabbit," he teased Nari. "You seem to like the stuff quite a bit. Should I have a steady supply sent to your room on a daily basis to make sure you have plenty?" he suggested wryly. His voice, however, seemed a bit hoarse, and he was forced to clear his throat to return it to normalcy.

"Don't worry, we don't go around reading other people's minds," he tried to assure her after his Uncle spoke, "But sometimes, like Uncle Radu said, people's stronger desires or other emotions just sort of... bleed through. On the plus side, that helps /us/ make sure that we stay one step ahead for people we want to keep safe and happy," he smiled. "Like you."

--------------------

Brianna smiled brightly at Naitachel, leaving Vlad holding her plate to go and collect Naitachel by his free hand, fully expecting Radu to get pulled along behind /him/, like a three-person train. "It's supposed to be kept cold, but it's getting warm and melting a little now," she explained, as though she were some great expert. "That's just what happens, though. It's still really good."

She picked up a cone to show the seraph just how it was done. "You can have it on your plate, but these cones are really yummy, too. You just put the ice cream /in/ it," she said, showing him how, "and then you can add stuff on top if you want, too, like whipped cream or chocolate sauce or sprinkles... Here," she said, thrusting the over-filled cone at him and forcing him to take it. "You try! When you're done, you get to just lick it!"

----------------------

Soraya sighed as she reentered the room with a purged stomach. Not that there had been much in there left to begin with, but at least now she hoped she could enjoy the festivities without having to dash off again.

She smiled at the sight that greeted her, her family engaged in various activities; Naitachel (and Radu) apparently being lectured on the finer points of ice-cream making by Brianna, Vlad making three (three?) plates of food, Michael engrossed in conversation with Nari, and Tommen chatting idly with Lisa, with the others scattered about eating and playing. It had been far too long since they had been allowed this measure of carefree fun, and the scene warmed Soraya's heart considerably.

Her smile broadened a little as she went to a projector that Badger had obligingly set up for her along one of the main walls.

"Naitachel, we thought perhaps you would like to see pictures from the more recent times you have missed," she called, turning on the projector using the computer, just as Badger has shown her.

The first picture, one of Radu standing to an old Model T car, their first one, popped up on the screen.

Radu returned the gentle squeeze.

Spying the photograph, Radu groaned. "We needn't see all of them... he knows what I look like..."

"I... broadcast?" Nari flushed some, turning her attention down to her tea, her ears burning some in embarrassment at being 'overheard' and at Michael's comment about the honey. "I... no, I don't need anything else right now, thank you Radu." Under the table she lightly kicked Michael's shin, crinkling her nose at him. "I haven't had honey in years... I remember my mom used to drizzle it on biscuits for me when I was a kid." There was that wistful look in her eyes again, and she sniffled some. It was plain to see that watching the reunion around her was actually making her feel even more alone.

She looked up as Soraya turned on a projector and started showing images of their past. Why, Radu looked exactly the same today as he did in that picture with the old car, despite the clothing of course.

The Seraph had no choice but to accept the overflowing cone, but he opted to avoid adding further sweets to what was already likely sweet. Instead, he eyed the melting ice-cream cone from all sides. The first lick made his eyes light up, though, and he smiled... and began taking long and strategic licks so as not to let his hand become messy, going after the vanilla treat like a cat to cream. There always was a bit of cat in every Seraph, it seemed.

Spying the photos being shown on the wall, Naitachel's eyes widened--ice cream suddenly no longer a priority. Radu was dressed strangely, though rather elegantly stranding beside some large mechanical contraption. Another slide showed the whole family beside yet a similar vehicle, with Min sneakily trying to place a chauffeur's cap on his uncle's head...

"Oh... my... what is that?" he asked, curious. But Naitachel had to smirk at Radu's groan, and flash his mate an amused wink. "True, but you are good to look upon, and I admit to never becoming tired of such a sight. I do not think it possible for me to over-indulge..."

Silently, though, he arched a brow at Radu, and added uncertainly, <I do hope that whatever artist complied to aid in these pictures did not add any nudes, however. Some paintings are best for private showings only, "tasteful" or not.>

To him, so far, all this was likely through paintings, as in old days... and perhaps with the aid of this odd computerized thing Brianna was using, they could display them on the wall...

Yet as he watched the pictures displayed, the Seraph absently continued to occasionally take a long lap at his treat. Only an angel could make such an inattentive action seem so very elegant...

Radu's eyes widened as he watched Naitachel luxuriously lapping at the barely frozen treat. He cleared his throat, thinking abruptly of mutants, swamps, sewage, anything to avoid the arousal that accompanied such a sight. At Naitachel's comment, his eyes widened further, then he looked away, trying hard to hide his embarrassment as he replied silently, <These are photographs, beloved, and no... there are no nudes...> and aloud, "Those are automobiles. Early models, actually. We shall introduce you to some of the later models before long, no doubt."

Smiling at Nari, Michael leaned over to whisper into her ear, "You do broadcast... well, certain things," he teased with a wink. "But don't worry, we're discreet." Though like now, for example, she /was/ broadcasting sadness, despite the levity of this whole affair. With a yawn and an stretch, Michael "subtly," wound his way around Nari's shoulders before drawing her to him quickly. "You don't have to stay, if you don't want to," he offered to her as he squeezed gently. "This stuff is boring, I know... I mean, old pictures. Yipee," he said, trying to give her a way out if she really did prefer to go without making her too self-conscious about her emotions regarding this whole thing.

"Though you have to admit, Uncle Radu does look pretty ridiculous in those clothes," he teased, hoping to at least make her smile.


--------------

Brianna grinned brightly as Naitachel began eating the ice cream. He seemed to be enjoying it, though she frowned questioningly at Uncle Radu. Why was he thinking of mutants? She knew he didn't like sweets, but did he think ice cream was that bad?

With a bit of an indignant huff, she returned to Vlad's side to collect her plate. "Thanks, Daddy... And for Mommy?" she asked, eyeing the third, still empty plate.

---------------

Soraya laughed brightly at Radu's explanation for Naitachel. "Yes, there are other photographs in there with cars involved," she confirmed. "Oh, and I do apologize. I wanted to organize these chronologically, but there really was no time," she informed him, clicking over to the next picture. "You get to deal with them out of order, unfortunately," she smiled at the new image that popped up.

This one was of Minhea, the twins, Matthias, Brianna, Soraya, and Vlad, all dressed in black capes, with fake blood on their faces and wearing plastic fangs. Each also wore a theatrical snarl upon their face.

Nari stiffened some as Michael wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze, then she relaxed and leaned against him. "No... it's okay. I'll stay." She cracked a bit of a smile at his comment about Radu's clothing, then actually managed a laugh at the picture of all of them dressed up as the stereotypical vampire. "I think that picture is even funnier. How come you aren't in it?" She picked up a handful of the popcorn on her plate and nibbled on it as she looked at the pictures, waiting for Michael to make some other pithy comment about them.

Naitachel noticed Radu's expression before the vampire turned away, and arched an eyebrow at his mate, confused by that reaction to ice cream. <...What?...> he inquired, glancing at his fingers and hoping he had not gotten the sticky concoction all over his face, and so would not have to Purify himself clean... <It is merely dessert...?>

Huh... so photographs did not create nudes... Interesting to note. The Seraph filed that fact for later, to further learn the difference between paintings and these new images. And these were cars, or automobiles... One could hope both were one and the same, right? They seemed to carry people... though how and why was beyond him, when horse and carriage were all he knew besides his own wings.

"The order matters little to me, Soraya--it shall all be new, regardless, I imagine?" Nait laughed kindly.

However, the next picture early stopped his heart in its tracks.

The picture of vampires being... well, vampires, however, startled Naitachel into almost dropping the last of his ice cream (luckily he'd eaten it down to a stub) as he leapt back in surprise and dismay. "But--surely--you all revealed yourselves!?!" the horrified Seraph gasped. "Whatever insanity drove you to such lengths?!?"

Radu shook his head, trying not to laugh, <It is nothing, beloved. I am pleased you enjoy it so...>

At his reaction to the costumes, Min laughed out loud. "It's for Halloween. " Seeing from his expression that cleared up nothing for the Seraph, Min explained, " It began as All Hallows Evening, celebrated the night before All Saint's day, where the spirits of the dead were thought to rise and visit those they'd left behind. Many believed that less benevolent spirits used this night as an opportunity to avenge any wrongs done them. They carved gourds into lanterns to honor the lost souls in purgatory and ward off evil as our people did so long ago, but then they dress up in costumes so that roaming souls seeking them out for ill-doings wouldn't recognize them. Eventually, they began to gather to them all manner of sweet treats and trinkets to offer up as appeasements to any spirits who would knock upon their door. It was thought that if the spirit accepted the offering for that year, that they would then take their malice elsewhere. Knowing of these offerings, however, the children began to knock upon the doors as well, dressed in costumes much like those we wear in that picture, demanding 'trick or treat', thus implying a choice between a malicious act or offering. In their great fear of the spirits 'tricks' most would choose to offer up a treat to these children masquerading as spirits, leaving them with sackfuls of sweets to enjoy as they would," Min laughed uproariously at that. "Ingenious little imps!"

Matty shrugged as he concluded, "As time passed, the fear of spirits faded, yet the customs remained. The carving of gourds into lanterns, dressing in costumes, and passing out treats to the little ones who came to your door demanding 'trick or treat' continued. In fact, the throwing of costume parties and passing of treats to costumed children became the sole focus for most that night. So we revealed nothing of ourselves dressing in that manner, as it was expected on that particular day."

Michael smiled in response to Nari's question. "Hey, someone has to take the picture," he answered. "Besides, now that you've seen how many of us there are, can you imagine trying to actually organize this insanity into one picture?" He grinned, teasing his family loudly. He was glad to see Nari actually smiling and munching, without self-conscious regard, on popcorn. This was more like it.

"Just promise me if there are any embarrassing pictures of me, you won't see me as a lesser man," he pled teasingly.


---------------

Since, apparently, her father wasn't going to make that third plate for Soraya, Brianna chose to take matters into her own hands. She began by placing a generous portion of ice cream onto the empty plate, then piled it high with fixings. "I'll bring it to her," she confided in a loud whisper to Vlad, taking up the plate with enough concentration that her tongue stuck out as she struggled to keep it balanced.

---------------

Soraya exchanged looks with Vlad, trying not to smile at Minhea and Matthias's history lesson. It was indeed strange to think back on how things were and how they had evolved over time.

"The vampire costumes became something of a tradition," Soraya laughed aloud, reminiscing. "We wore some variation of them every year. I do believe my favorite year was when we all decided to be Elvis vampires," she chortled at the memory, thenn realized Naitachel would know nothing about that, either. "Elvis was a... distinctive entertainer, Nait. We will get to that later," she promised, before clicking onto the new picture.

Min roared when he saw it. Very nearly the entire family in 1950s or 60s attire - Soraya with teased hair and poodle skirt, Vlad and the others in a cardigan and khakis - all piled circus clown-like into a very small Volkswagen. "I forgot we did that!" he sputtered when at last he could catch a breath.

Nari jumped when Min started roaring with laughter. She looked around wildly for a second, then once she realized that it was just Min laughing at one of the pictures, she relaxed and leaned back against Michael's side. She blushed a bit and sipped at her tea. "I promise not to laugh... much." She reached over and lightly poked him in his side, giving him a bit of a grin.

She turned her attention back to the photos being shown, and it slowly started dawning on her that his family was extremely long-lived... and that none of them looked like they'd aged at all. "You... none of you age?" She sounded a little uncertain as she asked.

Naitachel relaxed, as Min's explanation eased his mind greatly, and he settled back to finish his treat, licking his fingers clean like a cat. "Thank Heaven... For a moment there, I feared some madness had spread among you..."

The next picture, and Michael's murmured comment to Nari just before, set the Seraph laughing. "It appears that organization has nothing to do with success in that endeavor! Could the lot of you not find a bigger machine to attempt to enter?" <And did they need to pry all of you out after with much application of butter and leverage?> he added teasingly.

The next slide was of a mischievous Min waving both hands (and his own cane and top hat in a sweeping gesture) towards a group of carolers in the snow, complete in petticoats and top hats, presenting them with mouths open to sing. Vlad looked reluctant, Soraya seemed to be enjoying it, Tommen looked painstakingly resigned and studious, Michael was fidgeting with his scarf and clothes restlessly, the twins were aiming snowballs at each other (songbooks threatening to drop), Matty's songbook was upside-down and he had his eyes rolled heavenward in an enduring expression--but Brianna was clearly belting out the songs with utter glee.

Naitachel almost face-palmed at the sight, laughing helplessly and wiping at his eyes, barely able to catch his breath. "All of you--have ever been so very difficult--to bring to sing at all! Oh, but I am so sorry to have missed that!" <It was hard enough to convince you to even duet with me, Radu--I have no inkling as to how this minor miracle was accomplished!>

Yes, he remembered how it took the pushing of others to help convince Radu to ever try singing with him that first time. And he could guess, no amount of persuasion succeeded while he himself was missing. But the rest of the family tended to be equally stubborn about singing, despite having quite lovely voices. He had long surrendered the dream of succeeding at bringing more than four together for any piece of music... but this brought that hope back to Naitachel. Perhaps it was feasible, after all?

Yet another task on his list, however--the Seraph hoped to at least bring his mate's singing voice back to the hearing world once again...

Michael tried not to squirm as Nari poked him, hoping to avoid revealing his weakness to tickling to her. At least not yet. He gritted his teeth against the reaction and instead focused on answering her question.

"No... we don't. At least not after first death," he explained. "Up until that time we look and age just like normal humans. We hardly came out of our tiny little mother full-fledged," he grinned, taking a bite of popcorn. "But then, well, we meet first death eventually and we stay at that stage for the rest of our... existence." He paused momentarily before completing his thought, having very nearly said, "the rest of our /lives,/" before realizing that would be a rather inaccurate description of whatever this current state was. Could it really be considered life?

"Mom is different, though," he said quickly, realizing his mother's state must be a mystery to Nari. "She's still human; the sunlight won't kill her, and if she dies by violence, she won't come back, from what we gather, but she doesn't age and she won't die a natural death. She'll live as long as my father does. Some curse or something, weirdly enough." He left the rest unspoken - that if Vlad were ever to meet final death, Soraya would die as well. The thought of losing both his parents at once was rather distressing to the vampire, and he quickly chose to banish such ideas.

"So I guess now you know all of my family's down and dirty secrets," he winked. "Not to mention that you've seen us at our worse, apparently," he said, frowning at the new picture of the family rather in disarray as Min tried to conduct them in a Christmas carol. "I think we drove more people away than attracted them that night. I certainly hope we'll spare you /that/ torture," he teased Nari again, taking more popcorn. "Some of us singing isn't so bad. One of us singing alone is better, but the lot of us trying to coordinate? You really should run the other way if you see us trying to do that again."

----------------

It was Soraya's turn to grimace at the picture of the family crammed inside the Volkswagen. "You had forgotten which part? That we crammed ourselves into that tiny space or that we dressed like that?" she sighed. She rather thought she was the one who looked the most ridiculous in that one. "We always were slaves to whatever whims fashion chose to have if simply to fit in," she told Naitachel, "and some truly were atrocious. Keep an eye out for pictures from the late 20th century... I believe the 1980's," she instructed. "That decade was a particular gem, as I recall." She avoided admitting that she had indeed enjoyed some of the more obscure fashion choices, at least at the time. Bellbottom pants, for one.

She clicked to the next picture and smiled fondly at it. "Christmas caroling!" Brianna called happily from Soraya's side as she handed her hesitant mother her plate. "It was /fun/!" she informed Naitachel. "Maybe we can do it again this year, whenever Christmas comes around again. You sing, right?" she inquired.

Soraya laughed at Naitachel's commentary regarding the difficulty of getting them singing together. "It took one of the most powerful forces in the world to convince us to do that," she smiled down at her daughter. "Brianna's constant nagging," she winked at the girl. "I believe only she and myself would have been out there had she not had the powers of persuasion she has."

As she spoke, the redhead absently picked up the hot dog wiener from the plate Brianna had offered and dunked it into the whipped cream and chocolate sauce set aside for her ice cream, then into the salsa. She finished the coup by taking a hearty bite of the concoction and sighing, eyes half-lidded with pleasure. It seemed one moment she was too nauseous to even be around food, and the next she was ravenous.

"Eeewwwwwwwww," Brianna complained, bringing Soraya back to her senses and alerting her to what she had done. She blushed brightly at the room, trying to come up with some explanation unsuccessfully. All of those who had seen her go through the previous pregnancies would know just what the strange food combination meant. Oops.

Vlad and Radu exchanged an amused look. "Um... interesting food choices, sweetheart," Vlad prompted. If she wanted to keep her condition secret, that wasn't the way to do it.

He knew from looking around at the rest of the room, though, that he was too late. Still, nobody said anything, each pretending they hadn't figured it out yet. After all, if she wanted to keep it a secret, the least they could do is pretend that secret was still kept.

"I shall keep that in mind. Though, can you sing?" Nari glanced over at Michael, noting the odd look on his face after she'd poked him. Could it be? Was he ticklish? She half-grinned, but decided not to poke him again right now. She'd wait until later. "So, your mother is human, but immortal... and all the rest of you are vampires." She was just talking her way through it all, still sorting it all out in her head. "Naitachel is human as well, but immortal?" As she glanced over at Nait, she caught sight of the combination of food Sor just ate, and heard Brianna's opinion. "Ew is right." Nari shuddered. "Maybe /that's/ why she lives forever... eating gross food combinations." Oh, Nari had no clue at all... especially since where she had come from, girls who found themselves pregnant simply disappeared... and no one knew why or where.

Nari continued sipping at her tea, glancing back over at the jar of honey and wondering where she'd be able to get some of her own. "So I guess the overcast skies work to your advantage? Giving you more time to go outside and do whatever needs to be done?" She looked back over at Michael. "What DO all of you do, anyways? Did you build these tunnels?" Yep, now she was starting to think of lots of other questions.

"We had them built and stocked well to shelter our own back when the first bombs were created, then just kept adding to them, knowing that there would be others less fortunate in need of safety as well, though we kept telling ourselves they would never truly be needed. Sadly, given human nature, I think we always knew better," Mircea answered somberly. "The overcast skies do allow us to go out more. We are able to seek out survivors and supplies far more easily unrestricted by the movement of the sun."

The Seraph flashed Soraya a smirk and a laugh. "So easily you have forgotten the courts of so far back? The wild colors, the layers, the wigs and bird-nest hats, the puffy-sided pantaloons, the clashing petticoats, the starch and powder and lace applied to all areas? Surely those times I have missed could not be worse than that? I was always so very happy to be passed as clergy in every era--thank Heaven robes never go out of style! But the rest of you, yes, I felt so very sorry for when you were forced to don such."

Any of those with older memories may recall that such clothing and colors and heavy powders and wigs... would make a modern person think the wearer was a clown, in this era. But back then, such was the norm for any respectable person, though there were some exceptions, clergy being one.

"Yes, I sing and quite readily so, at that," Naitachel confirmed to Brianna cheerfully, smiling confidently. "I suppose you could say I enjoy any opportunity to do so, unlike the others, and until your arrival, I struggled to bring even what paltry notes I could from them. I would be honored, little miss, to aid in your caroling endeavors this year." He bowed in his seat to Brianna formally, winking at her.

But that was when Soraya chose to demonstrate her tummy's odd desires, and the combination was enough to make even the easy-natured Seraph to turn a bit green around the gills. Pushing his own remaining food away, lest his stomach finish turning, Naitachel couldn't help himself.

He put his face in his hands, to attempt to avoid both laugher and nausea, shaking with amusement until even his tail feathers trembled--silently laughing at how everyone was pretending not to know, at Soraya's so obvious blunder revealing all, at Brianna's and Nari's reactions to it as well as his own... and trying not to gag at the same time, for even his calm influence wasn't enough to block such a stomach-churning combination of tastes from his mind now that he'd seen it, and in trying to hold his laughter in, it wasn't easing the pressure of his own consumptions threatening to return (the opposite, in fact).

Finally, the Seraph just couldn't take it anymore--he leaned his head back and laughed... until he was having to wipe away scarlet tears with a napkin, the sound as uplifting as birdsong and as contagious as yawning.

"Can I sing?" Michael echoed Nari's question, startled. "Um... well, not really. I mean... yeah, not really," he floundered, scratching the back of his head. "Uncle Nait's more the singing type around here," he said, just as the seraph was telling a delighted Brianna as much. He listened to the rest of her questions, nodding somberly in thought, trying to find some way of answering her queries. "Yeah, my mom's not immortal, not on her own. Like I said, she can die from violence... and she's mostly still here because her lifespan is tied to my dad's. I can't really explain the particulars, I don't get it myself, but it was done a long time ago by one of those spooky gypsies," he said adding an air of mystique to his voice as he said so.

"Uncle Nait's not... exactly human," he answered her, trying to think quickly. "He's more of a clergy man of sorts. But yeah he's what you'd call immortal too."

Michael watched in horror as his mother dipped the hotdog into an ungodly combination of items, his mouth hanging open at the sight of her actually /eating/ it. The last time he'd seen her do something so repulsive was...

"Bad food is not the key to eternity," he assured Nari. "She only eats these gross food combinations when she's... Holy crap," Michael said aloud, just as Naitachel started laughing uncontrollably, Lisa and Tommen joining him soon after.

"What?" Brianna asked, confused.

Soraya, for her part, was blushing brightly, fully aware that she had indeed given away the secret, particularly given that now half the room was roaring in laughter. What was the point in keeping up the charade now? Besides, she was having a hard time containing her own mirth.

"Argh!" she groaned amusedly, moving to Vlad's side and taking his hand in her own. "Fine, all right, we have an announcement," she said, raising her voice to be heard over the sound of the others, struggling not to break down into giggles both at her own slip and at her now barely contained happiness. She looked at her husband quickly for permission, before saying it aloud.

"Vlad and I are, as you likely guessed, expecting another child."

Her announcement prompted another wave of laughter from Min, Matt, and Jina and Radu. "No kidding," Min blurted, barely able to catch his breath, prompting Mircea to give him a reproachful glare.

"Congratulations," Radu said quietly, smiling.

"Indeed," Mircea agreed. "Congratulations, child."

Nari stared at Soraya, then looked over at Michael, her eyes wide. "She's not going to disappear is she? I used to hear rumors that girls who got pregnant disappeared..." Nari liked Soraya, and she was slowly starting to trust all of them (at least everyone in the room that she'd spent some time with). "Oh, well... I guess she won't? Since you and Bri and Tom are her kids too?" Nari blushed some, feeling embarrassed for her sudden rambling. She didn't really know what to say to Soraya either, though everyone else was congratulating her.

Naitachel finally raised his can of Ginger Ale to Soraya and Vlad, in a toasting salute. "Congratulations, to the happy parents and soon-to-be siblings!" he called cheerfully once he could speak past the laughter. "A bright future to all!"

Winking at Nari, he chuckled, "No, she had best not disappear, lest Vlad be upset again! He was quite unhappy to have missed your own birth, Michael, and I admit I should be far more comfortable leaving this one to an expert as well!"

Taking a sip of the bubbly drink, the Seraph blinked, took a longer pull, then peered into the aluminum can, curious and intrigued. It was very tasty, the bubbles making it as fun as champaign on the tongue, the flavors gentler and even soothing to his stomach. In fact, he found it refreshing... and almost addictive... The can vanished swiftly, and Naitachel snagged another. Now these confounded tops were the confusing part.

Frowning doggedly at the soda can, the Seraph turned it about in his hands, trying to figure out how one was supposed to get it open. It had a small metal piece that could be shifted and pulled a bit, right by where it was to be opened...

<How does this work, again?> he asked the others.

(OOC--It's a bit shaken up now, though...)