A Grand Opening (open to allllll!)

[feathers3]

Finally.

Enrique had been working hard on this little project of his for quite some time. The restaurant he'd been scouting long before he and his sister even got to this bustling pueblito was in the most perfect location he could ask for. The old owners hadn't made much of it, despite the obvious potential, and convincing them to sell it to him had been a breeze. It was quite a fixer-upper, taking that dingy place and totally reworking it to the beauty it was now, but it had been work that Enrique relished. Most of the dishes on the menu had been floating around in his head for some time, so that had been the easy part. The restaurant itself, however, had taken a great deal of deliberation, in the design, color schemes, fabrics and cutlery...and how many hours had he spent poring over appliances and such for his kitchenstaff? And the gobs and gobs of money? But now, finally, the lycan was finished, and his restaurant was gorgeous.

It was a place resplendent with comfortable, open space. What was once a second story had been turned into the restaurant's wonderful vaulted ceiling, which now glowed with complex wooden inlay, intricately carved and painted and quite an eye-catching part of the restaurant's design. Below that were rows of still-fantastic short, white columns, which sat against the wall until the point where the old second story had sat. Descending from the ceiling were vast square columns scattered through the floorspace, beige monoliths lit from below. Most of the light in the seating area was provided by contrastingly modern pieces, frame-like structures that held a circle of lights. The bar, against a far wall, glowed blue and yellow, the only color beyond the soothing browns and beiges of the walls and pumpkin-orange of some of the chairs. It was a fine place, Enrique liked to tell himself. A dignified and exquisite place. And tonight he was thrilled to open it to the public.

The grand opening was a packed event-- or it was booked to be. There weren't many fine dining locations in the city before this one, and Enrique was proud to be setting a new standard in the food business here. The locals had been calling in reservations for days-- they'd have a packed house tonight. For the time being, though, Chef Ferrari had stationed himself at the restaurant's entrance, waiting to greet his first batch of patrons as the doors opened, hoping to get an idea of who he was cooking for. It would be, he was sure, a fabulous night for his little Bénédictine.

And ah! There was his first patron; a grin lit his face, and he extended a hand once they'd announced themselves and their reservation. "Bienvenido, welcome, welcome. My name is Enrique Ferrari, and I'm delighted to be your chef this evening." A true effusion of happiness could be noted by anyone in contact with the attractive young chef, who glowed with a heady pride at his little creation. This, he thought, was probably how a father felt at the birth of his child.

[Deleted]

leona ;;

Ah yes. This place was new, and expensive. But that was how the physic vampire liked it, always striving for the best, and to indulge in whatever she pleased. That was where money got you these days, and Miss Bengara had plenty of that, due to her heritage. A small grin was on her face, her white dress, accented with gold, snugly fitting her body. Elegant and gracefull, Leona was dressed for the best, always on the ball, coming out on top, winning at all costs. That was her nature, and she enjoyed what she did.

"Leona Bengara. I have a reservation," she said, voice in a slight purr, always playing with her food, seducing no matter what. The man was good-looking, she could give him that, and he seemed proud. Sensible, considering how well this place looked. Of course, being a physic vampire, Leona didn't need to eat, though she could, and enjoyed new things, preferably the best out there, and this place seemed the best. He was polite, and she grinned at the foriegn language. "I'm delighted to be here this evening, Mr. Ferarri," the physic vampire said, a sly smile on her face. Her slender hand went out to meet his, noticiably cooler than the man's. Obviously, since she had no heartbeat, and it wasn't as unsettling to Leona as it once had been.

She could enjoy herself here, just as she had planned she would. Dressed nicely, her hair in its usual pixie-like style, she was well-fitted for a place like this. Golden eyes met the chef's and she waited for him to respond, hoping to spend some time with him, after just meeting him. Leona liked her men varied, and he was a beautiful slice of the heaven she took a piece of quite often.

[lucius]

Tonight was the opening of a brand new high-end restaurant in anyone, and everyone who was anyone was supposed to be in attendance. For people who had been longing some sort of high-class restaurant such as Benedictine, this was a godsend of sorts, and tables had been booked as soon as they were made available by one man who was particularly looking forward to some fine cuisine, having had to rely on personal chefs or his own cooking--a hobby of his--to make up for the lack of fine restaurants in the area. Perhaps he should have invested in one long ago, but just had never the fortitude or effort to perform such a feat. He was happy someone else did.

A black limousine pulled up outside of the new restaurant, where a small crowd of media and onlookers hoping to catch someone famous, pretty, or important waited along the line to the door. Stepping out of the door, Lucius Erif, dressed in a sleek black suit, glanced around, a smile coming across his face as he waved hello to some of the onlookers. On his arm was the ever-present companion slave of his, Brooke Wyld, who he helped out of the limo behind him before turning to face the press. Most of the media, of course, worked for ZaneCorp in one way or another, but all were eager to see what the at times-reclusive billionaire was wearing and if he had any comments to make to the public. He stopped for a moment, briefly addressing rumors about his company's attempts to purchase and take over the largest bank in the city before saying his goodbyes and making his way inside.

His blue eyes glanced around the building approvingly, taking in its elegance and beauty. Lucius had to admit that it was a very good job. He searched around, seeing another woman--vampire, psychic most likely, from the scent of her--speaking to the chef, Enrique Ferrari. Lucius did not need his empathetic abilities to notice how positively happy and excited the young man was. The ancient vampire turned his gaze upon the Maitre'D, nodding. "Reservation for two under Lucius de Romanus," said Lucius.

[poss2]

Sitting close in the backseat of the limousine, one leg crossed over the other with her hand rested comfortably on the wealthy mans knee, was Brooke Wyld. She was the quiet type, more likely to express herself through touch than their words, but it did not seem as though Mr. Erif minded that one bit. A smile was ever present on her delicate face, long hair cascading in a fluid wave down her bare shoulder blades to the small of her back. Mr. Erif had decided to be present at the grand opening of this new restaurant, and Brooke was simply excited for a night out on the town. She was new to this city, new to the bright lights and flashing cameras that seemed to follow her master around every corner he made. Though the glass of the limo was tinted, bulbs were already frantically flashing as they pulled up to the entrance, only to become much more frequent as the door opened. Perhaps it was a race- the first to land a photo of the exquisite man won. Won what, exactly, she couldn't be sure.

Taking his hand as Lucius Erif stepped out of the limousine, she slid to the edge of the seat and fluidly stepped to stand by his side. Her arm laced without hesitation through his, tucking the length of her body along his side, arm crossed over her stomach to rest the palm of her hand on his arm as well. She was comfortable by his side, even as the blinding light of the cameras relentlessly attacked them. A bright smile, and eye contact was made with ever man or woman who sought her attention, offering them the photo they wanted of the woman who was at his side. Who was she? would most likely be the title alongside her face in each magazine the following week.

Soon, Mr. Erif took to the entrance, leaving behind the pulsating waves of people who frantically attempted to grab his attention for one last photo. Easing as the doors closed behind them, she tilted her head to rest her cheek gently on his shoulder, smiling to the Maitre'D as he nodded and began to walk through the maze of seats. "Beautiful." She whispered, her head lifting as she examined the interior of the building before they reached their designated table.

[feathers3]

Ah, and as soon as the doors opened, his first guests started rolling in. The first, a miss Leona Bengara; he read the psychic vampiress like a book without a second thought. Enrique shook the woman's hand heartily, with the distinct impression that he was the food to her, not his creations, but the normally disheartening look into her appetites didn't touch his elation tonight. His grin still stretched from ear to ear, unshakable. "And we're so delighted to have you, Miss Bengara." Even if you do think of the chef as el postre, the dessert... Nope, it didn't really bother him at all. The little latino lycan was walking on sunshine despite the night that had already fallen outside. Naturally, he'd opted for an evening open; not only was it the default for fine dining like Benedictine, but he knew the vampires ran this town, and he didn't mind catering to those he knew would be his best customers. Despite his lycan heritage, he'd never been raised to despise vampires, and was absolutely neutral in this big war that was brewing. Taking sides, after all, was bad for business.

"Olivier! Please, escort Miss Bengara to a table and bring her a glass of anything she likes, on the house. It's the least I can do for my 'first lady.'" He gave a silent chuckle at his own joke, the upright little waiter skipping over as his name was called. "Yes, chef." He replied, a phrase that was the trained response of anyone who'd worked in a kitchen. Enrique's waiters, one might notice, were all of handpicked beauty and character, all finely dressed and excellently trained. Only the best servers for the best restaurant, he'd supposed, but he'd also decisively thought that there was no harm in having a little eyecandy around the workplace.

Chef Ferrari faced his next guest with a raise of his brow and a jubilant cry. "Aha! Mr. Lucius Erif, it is an honor to have you here, at Benedictine's grand opening. I'm glad to see that the press didn't harry you or Miss Wyld too terribly on your way in!" He supposed they wouldn't have, seeing as how Lucius owned the press. It didn't take the chef's smorgasbord of psychic tricks to know that. It was common knowledge to anyone who kept up with the news in their little city, a trait Enrique had developed after he'd realized how much of the lives of the supernaturals and their fighting found it's twisted way into a newspaper. Once one learned how to read into things, it was a fairly good source for someone like him, always thirsting for knowledge but never willing to get his feet wet. The name of the vampiric magnate's arm candy, however, Enrique'd had to skim a few minds for. It pleased him to seem knowledgeable of his guests' identities, though, especially among these first few patrons. Thus, he grinned and welcomed them with the same manic energy as he had with Leona. He didn't look farther than the woman's name, though. Enrique was very curious, but he was even more cowardly, and any thought of pissing Lucius Erif off by the simple act of knowing too much about anything was nothing he wanted to risk. He was too well connected, too intimidating, and way too old to mess with. Despite this awe, though, Enrique's unconquerable joy kept that same infectious smile on his face. Tonight could not be more perfect.

[Deleted]

The glance he gave the girl who commented on not jumping out of a moving vehicle was one of disbelief. He was not born yesterday. The first corner they took that was not fast enough, or a stop light, she would have been up and out- and thus, this car was his choice for hauling around the slaves. The reinforced dash, braced by the very steel that attached that ring to her leash, would not be tampered with by any human, especially one the size of this girl sitting in his passenger seat.

"There is a new restaurant opening tonight. I reserved a spot for two several months ago, but I will not hesitate to bring you back out in to the street and chain you up like a dog if you act out. Do you understand?" His eyes were still on the girl as they maneuvered through the streets at speed, turning his attention to the street only as he turned the wheel, skipping across a few lanes to the far right. The flash of cameras down the street marked their destination, pulling over to the curb a short distance away he turned off the engine and climbed back over the drivers side door. He was still in his suit- this had been planned for a while now and he walked over to the passenger door from around behind the car. Reaching in, he unlatched the leash from the large steel ring and opened her door, piercing gaze on her own as he watched her for any signs of making a scene.

The chain was wrapped a few times around his hand only to offer her his arm in a gentlemanly fashion before heading toward the entrance. They used a rear entrance, escaping the flash of the cameras and the medias attention all together. Once within, they were guided to their seats with the simple statement of "Gunnar Scott." Gunnar pulled out the chair for Julia motioning for her to sit, and hoping she would act the part.

[Deleted]

Well, she couldn't expect the man to believe what she said. She had been trying to get away from him from the beginning, after all. It would only be a point of taking a jump over the door and taking off down the road. Julia just smirked at his look, well at least he was smart. That was good. She didn't know what she'd do if the person that bought her had been a moron. Her arms remained crossed over her chest, having given up on ripping the ring from the dash; she knew it wasn't going to happen, and struggling against it was just going to give her a nasty bruise on her neck.

She listened to him speak, and definitely heard his threat. The young woman had no desire to be chained like a dog on the street, and her stomach wanted a bit of food. Julia hadn't eaten in quite some time, and what she had eaten she would barely call food. Still smirking, Julia ran a hand through her hair. "Don't give me a reason to act out and I won't act out." She wasn't about to make a scene if she was being treated fairly. Maybe she'd be able to convince him to remove the stupid chain if she kept this attitude up long enough. And she probably wouldn't even object too much to serving her master if treated like a human. It was far better than death. Julia smirked again as he unlatched the leash and opened the door, his gaze was just tempting her to do something and warning her not to at the same time.

While the chain was wrapped around his hand, the offer of his arm drew a genuine smile from Julia as she stepped out of the car and tuck her own arm in with his. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as they bypassed the media circus going on outside of the main entrance. The slayer was just too proud to be paraded around and caught on camera in the state she was in. She walked with Gunnar, moving with him to the table and taking a seat as he motioned her to. "I can be civil, you know."