A day in Creta (Vincent)

NOOOOO IT WAS COOOLLLLLDDDD. That's how it is. When it's winter. Because Winter is made for strange scary people that like snow and stuff. Come on now, who likes snow and cuddles by the fire? NO ONE! Okay...some people, but NOT ALL PEOPLE! Zhanna was....one of those people! Because she lived in Drachma. But she still hated it. With a fiery passion of HATE. Pun intended. Zhanna may have lived in one of the coldest places ever but she HATED it. Because cold is COLD. And cold SUCKS.

Zhanna grumbled as she trudged along. Could she have worn warmer clothes today? Yeah, probably. But wearing only half of what normal people would wear was just what she did. She was really only grumbling because she was forced to cover up. Without paying much attention to where she was headed, Zhanna bumped into someone with quite some force, causing her to stumble forward and cling to the person with a helpless scream that people give just before they face plant on cement. Quickly jumping away from the person she had bumped into, she stumbled over her words to get out an apology. "Ah! I'm so sorry, sir! Please forgi- Oh right do you speak Drachman?! AH I'M SO SORRY!" Zhanna at this point was waving her arms helplessly and yelling at him in Drachman, oh how confusing and scary this must be for him if he can't speak Drachman. With a deep, but quick breath, Zhanna began again, speaking super fast in her rush to get out an apology. "I'm so sorry. My name is Zhanna. Pleased to...uh...meet you?"

As the Head of Fort Rose HQ, Vincent Richelieu had to go on several out of country errands. Sometimes they were important, but sometimes they were just useless errands the king was too lazy to do himself and it somehow got down to him and he had to do it.

He didn't mind the actual errands themselves, it was everything else. First he would have to get there. Ships were obviously not his first choice, so he had to board a plane, which he also didn't like. The next was when he got there. You see, Vincent can speak other languages, but not very well. While he excelled at many things, he didn't care much for learning the languages of others. There is no particular reason why other than he just doesn't want to. So, communication can be quite difficult.

When he stepped out of the airport and onto the streets of Creta, he took a deep breath and walked down the pavement with the swagger of a king. He couldn't communicate well with speech in this country, but body language was the universal language. He wanted people to feel his awesomeness! Everyone would know of his-Mmph!

A woman much shorter than him just barreled into him and almost made him lose balance! Suddenly this woman was clinging to him and shouting in some language he didn't understand. It most certainly wasn't Cretan. He wasn't sure what to make of it until he saw her somewhat skimpy outfit. She couldn't be a prostitute. She didn't seem like she was seducing him. She was speaking frantically. Maybe she was in trouble! Of course Vincent would have to help her! To make himself look like a hero, but that isn't the point. He wouldn't be able to help her if he couldn't understand her! This was bad!

He was seriously relieved when the girl spoke Cretan. He could tell it was Cretan, but she was speaking so fast that he couldn't understand him. He cleared his throat and said with a charming smile: "Hello. I am sorry but I can't understand you. Are you in trouble?" He wasn't happy with how broken his Cretan was, but he hoped the girl would understand him.

Oh no! This wasn't good. Zhanna stumbled over the words in her head, trying desperately to form some coherent sentence. What if the man was angry and scary? What if he pressed charges? That was a preposterous thing to assume but it could happen! Zhanna simply stared at the man wide eyed for a moment, opening and closing her mouth in fear. Why did she have to be shorter than most people? It didn't help at all that Zhanna had just run into a man so much faller than herself.

"Ah...I...what? Oh no! Look what I've done now...I've run into the poor lad. Oh please let him understand me when I speak...else wise he may think I'm crazy or in some form of trouble. Oh goodness, what if he takes me to the police for...for like assault and battery or something?!" Zhanna then looked up at the man again, trying to calm herself. He had spoken to her then. Ah! He spoke Cretan! Good! Granted, his Cretan wasn't that great - but it was still better than gesturing wildly at each other!

"I spoke too fast! I'm sorry, sir. Oh...and for bumping into you..." Zhanna, to make things even worse, (though that definitely was not her intention) reached out tentatively and tried to smooth out his clothing where she had bumped him. "Sorry...um...my name is Zhanna. Oh, right! No sir, I'm in no trouble. Um...at least I hope I'm not. You're not angry with me, are you?" Zhanna held her breath as she awaited an answer, hoping that the man had understood the majority of what she had said.

Vincent was both relieved and disappointed that she wasn't in trouble. He was glad she wasn't in danger, but that meant that he couldn't save her and be a hero. Oh well. She apologized and introduced herself. He took in what she said. He didn't respond immediately though. She was still talking a bit fast. She was so bold as to touch him, but to straighten out his clothes, so it wasn't too bad.

"I am Vincent Richelieu, Head of Fort Rose HQ from the Gelemorte Infantry." He answered with the most smug smirk he could muster. He always introduced himself that way. Sure, it was pretty reckless to just announce his title like that to some random woman, but Creta was no place to worry about. They were allies. And besides, Vincent could totally take anyone. Or at least that's what he thinks.

"And no, madam, I am not angry with you. Just please watch where you are going next time. This is an expensive jacket."

Zhanna waited as the man introduced himself. He revealed that his name was Vincent. Oh! The Vincent sir that ran Fort Rose HQ in Gelemort! He sure did seem quite proud of this fact. Probably a bit too proud but Zhanna just attributed that to patriotism. Zhanna herself had never been to Gelemort, but she heard that Creta was allied with the place. His accent amused her so she made a mental note to go to Gelemort one day to see if everyone spoke like that. Well, she'd have to learn the dialect of Gelemort first but it would still be cool to go there...or anywhere really, because accents are amusing wherever you go. Reigning back in her rambling thoughts, Zhanna gave a little curtsey when Vincent had introduced himself. "Zhanna Reagan. Though I have no special title. I'm just a random girl born to different raced parents. Not anything special, I don't suppose." Zhanna frowned the slightest bit then. That sure didn't sound like a great way to introduce oneself or one's family. With a smile, Zhanna spoke again. "Just Zhanna is fine, Mr. Richelieu."

The good sir then inquired whether or not she was in danger. Well that was a hard thing to answer. She wasn't hurt or anything and it didn't seem that Mr Richelieu was angry with her, but she felt bad about disrupting his day. He had then spoken again. Oh no! His suit was expensive! Zhanna felt even worse then. "I...yes! I'm in trouble! I bumped into you and messed up your day and your jacket. I have to make it up to you now! Come on!" Zhanna lunged forward and clasped Vincent's wrist and began tugging on his arm gently. "Let me get you a coffee or...uh...something." Zhanna continued to gently tug on his wrist as she gazed up at him, waiting for him to do something. Oh how she hoped he'd accept the offer.

Vincent felt a surge of pride when this woman thought she had to curtsey to him. He quite enjoyed it. His pride further sky rocketed when she introduced herself! She called him Mr. Richelieu. He chuckled to himself. Usually people didn’t refer to him with that respect due to his young age. People could be so stupid. Ignoring all his fine accomplishments just because he is young! Bah! If anything they should respect him more for that!

She was certainly making a good impression on him, so he smiled and continued to listen to her speak. This woman was completely getting the wrong idea about him! She didn’t ruin his day! She did mess up his jacket a bit. He would have to just buy a new one. That wasn’t the point. She was actually making his day much better!

“Zhanna. Just call me Vincent. Non! My day was not ruined.” Vincent replied as cooly as he could in that language. Now that he thought about it, she didn’t laugh at him for his accent. Some people would at least giggle at him by now.

Next she insisted she had to make it up to him. He wasn’t so sure she had enough money to take him to anywhere too nice, but being treated to a free meal wasn’t something he was going to just turn down. Perhaps he could leave a large tip to flaunt his deep pockets. Yeah, that’s what he’d do.

He was jerked out of his thoughts when she grabbed his wrist. What did she think she was doing? She tugged him but he didn’t move. Why did she think she could just touch him? Her hands were clean and not sweaty but still, she was touching him! She didn’t let go when he didn’t move. She must either enjoy touching him-who wouldn’t?- or she was persistent on making him move. He gave her a confused look when she started tugging on his arm. That’s when she offered to take him for coffee.

“Coffee would be nice. I am in the mood for mocha. If there are any places around that have those, that would be nice.” He frowned. That didn’t come out nearly as awesome as he wanted it to. It sounded too normal like he was speaking like a poor person. Blast this complicated language!

He was smiling. Why was he smiling? People don't smile when their days have been ruined! Unless he was planning out his revenge and was smiling at the thought of getting back at her! Zhanna tried to get such thoughts out of her mind. "Ah, yes Mr- uh, sir- ah...Vincent.…Ahem. Oh, are you sure I didn't bother you too much?" Oh what joy Zhanna felt surge within her! It was wonderful to know that she hadn't totally ruined his day. Unless of course he was only saying that so he could sneak up on her later and enact his revenge...

He didn't move when she touched him. Zhanna pleaded silently that he move or do something! She had gone too far and she knew it but at that moment she had locked up and could only stand there with his wrist in her small hand. Come on, she yelled within her mind, do something! Don't just stand there!

Oh thank goodness, he snapped her from her paralysis by speaking. Mocha, he wanted mocha. Zhanna knew she had a fairly good amount of money on her person (she had made sure to have enough when she was visiting Creta) but she was still concerned that he may want some super fancy coffee.

Right! He wanted a mocha. Mocha...mocha....where was there a mocha shop nearby? Think, Zhanna, think! "Oh, yes si- Mr- ...Vincent, I know of a place!" I do? Zhanna questioned herself. Yeah, she had no idea but if she started walking like she had an idea maybe a coffee shop would show up. She hadn't been in Creta for so long, if only she could remember! Oh why had she offered to treat him to coffee? "Uhm...yes si- uh, this way." Zhanna turned so Vincent couldn't see the look of horror on her face. Hopefully a coffee shop would pop up somewhere, else wise she was in trouble.

Why was this girl getting so flustered? I must be because she was so impressed by his amazingly good looks! Or what if it was something else? As unlikely as it was, he could’ve said something stupid. Did he mistranslate something? He was beginning to dislike speaking in Cretan more and more. She was going to think he was some…dullard! He couldn’t have that! Time to step it up a notch!

“No. I insist that you are not bothering me, Zhanna.” He chuckled deeply in an attempt to show how suave he was.

When she started to lead him to the coffee shop, he stepped up beside her with a very cocky smirk and offered her his arm. It was the obvious gentlemen thing to do. Hah! Now she would see that he was indeed NOT a dullard! Hah! He was pretty sure she’d take his arm despite her nervousness. Who wouldn’t accept his arm? He hoped she would accept it quickly so he wasn't left hanging. Then he would feel very un fabulous and that would be bad.

He wasn't bothered, good! It made Zhanna very happy to know that Vincent wasn't bothered by her! Still though, she had to worry if he actually meant it or if he was only saying that to be gentlemanly. Either way, Zhanna was quite thankful. "Oh I'm so glad I didn't bother you too much! Oh the chuckle Vincent then produced. It was deep and seemed to be a show of his elegance. Just the sound of it almost had Zhanna giggling herself.

Zhanna heard the steps of someone coming up beside her and turned to see Vincent strolling up beside her. She hadn't noticed it before, but he was quite handsome. His blonde hair didn't go with his darker eyebrows, Zhanna had to wonder which one he had dyed. His eyes were dark too, a perfect shade of brown. Zhanna wasn't sure she had ever seen someone with blonde hair and brown eyes, but she liked the appearance. That combined with his nice clothing and way of walking and speaking made Zhanna like him. It wasn't very often that she met a nice gentleman such as Vincent. Given that she had been staring at him, Zhanna didn't notice when he offered her his arm. For a moment there she was utterly confused as to what it was he wanted her to do. "Oh! Thank you!" Zhanna smiled a thank you and took his offered arm. How nice of him! Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that she had bumped into him. This could turn out to be fun. With a smile, Zhanna continued on to the coffee shop.

When she didn’t accept his arm at first he felt his heart drop into his stomach. She was just staring at him. He hoped it was because she was admiring his looks, but if that was the reason, she would’ve taken his arm by now! He was starting to get nervous. Who did this woman think she was?! To reject the amazing Vincent Richelieu! Oh no she didn’t- Oh wait. Nevermind. She accepted his arm and smile at him. A wave of relief spread through his body. This girl was seriously causing him internal turmoil. He wished she would be more decisive.

After a while of walking and not seeing any coffee shops, he started to suspect they were lost.

“Um. Excuse me, but are we lost? I ‘aven’t seen a coffee shop yet.” He squinted his eyes and looked around. But still didn’t see one. In fact, he didn’t see any sort of shops at all. What was she playing at? Was she trying to lure him into a trap? It would make sense. She could be a spy that heard that he was coming and wanted to attack him. In that case, he tensed his body and got ready for action. Not too obviously of course.

Zhanna continued walking, her pace quickening as she realized that she was lost. Oh no, no no no! Zhanna was very nearly hyperventilating as she realized she had absolutely no idea where she was going. She didn't even know how to get back to where she was! "Ah...I...no...I..." Zhanna felt her heart quicken as she stuttered. She was lost, she had no idea where she was and it was causing her mind to jumble and her voice to crack. Zhanna unintentional clung tigher to Vincent's arm. "I...I know exactly where we are! It's...it's fine. I'll find us the coffee shop! Don't worry..." Zhanna silently cursed herself for her voice cracking so much.

She formed her lips into a tight line and her brow furrowed. She continued on a few feet but had no idea where to go. Take another left? Maybe go right this time? The road names chsnged but each turn off looked the same. Zhanna stopped walking, her heart nearly doing the same. "I...uh...I think we may be lost..." Zhanna moved to stand slightly behind Vincent, still clinging to his arm. What if he just left her there? With a stifled whine, Zhanna waited for what seemed to be ages for Vincent to do something.

Vincent let his body loosen when she clung to his arm and admitted they were lost. She was so flustered! It was actually kind of cute. Wait! What he thinking?! No one could ever compare to him! So why even look at other people? He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Well, this is not a favorable position to be in." He stated simply.

After a few more failed attempts at finding where they were supposed to be going, Zhanna stopped walking. Her next move create a sense of pride and he felt his basic protection instinct kick in. She made the most adorable noise and hid behind him slightly while clutching his arm tightly. Why did he keep calling her cute?! Stop it Vincent! She most certainly isn't cute!

Vincent realized that this was the chance he needed to play the hero! They were in trouble now! Somewhat. He chuckled again and turned to the girl with a charming smirk.

"It will be fine. I am more than capable of taking on whatever may attack us. So do not be worried or scared." The next thing he did he wasn't even expecting. He put his arm around her and gave her a reassuring half hug. When he realized what he did he mentally punched himself in the face.

He was acting strangely. It must be because of the girl. She must be a witch! She was casting some sort of spell on him! The most fabulous Vincent wouldn't fall victim to her tricks! He had to keep his mind clear and stay ready. Of course his conclusion was completely off the point and he was just making up some story because he was in denial that he actually found this girl to be attractive. Maybe not as attractive as he was, but still.

The silence was awkward so he cleared his throat and said: "Perhaps we should ask for some directions?"

Calm down Zhanna, it will be okay! She was lost, yes, but she had an attractive man to cling to. Wait...that was where her problems started! If she hadn't been so distracted by his looks she probably wouldn't have gotten lost. Zhanna didn't much mind that she was with him, but she wished she knew where she was.

Oh and he voiced his thoughts on the matter at hand. The way he said it so stoically made Zhanna visibly wince. "I'll...I'll get us out of this..." Of course that was going to be a lot harder said than done, seeing as to how she was clinging to his arm still. And then, he moved. Oh no! He was going to abandon her there, right after proclaiming that he would protect them! For a split second there, Zhanna felt her heart stop. He couldn't just leave her! He said he...he said he could fight off any bad guys, but that was only for himself! He wouldn't leave her there! No, he couldn- he hugged her. Zhanna's eyes went wide as he put his arm around her. She reached a hand up to gently touch his arm, blinking in surprise as she realized he was hugging her.

The silence stretched on for an eternity. Why was he doing this for her? And why did she feel so weird when he did and said these things? She couldn't like him, no...and there was no way he could like her; a clumsy girl that could hardly form coherent sentences. He was probably only doing what he was doing because he had to keep up his gentlemanly image. Yeah, that was all. The silence was then broken by Vincent. "Directions...yeah. Uhh...we can ask at...that place." Zhanna pointed off towards a mini mart on the corner and glanced up at Vincent before beginning to walk once more.

Vincent walked towards the mini mart. There were lots of people around so he turned his swagger up even more. Vincent strolled into the mini mart with Zhanna on his arm. He hoped people would assume that she was his woman. To the average man, she would be considered very attractive. If Vincent himself wasn't so attractive he would probably think that too. But that isn't the point. The point is that she would help him turn even more heads.

They did indeed turn heads as they walked in. People continued their business but they did look up. Some people whispered to themselves. Vincent smirked and chuckled. They had to ask for instructions so he looked around for a person. After a few seconds he spotted an old man who was most obviously a local. That would be the person to talk to! He strolled over to the man and cleared his throat to get his attention.

"Excuse me, sir. But we are not from around here and we are lost. Where is the closest coffee shop?"

"You go to the end of the road and take two rights. Then you will be there." The old man said and gestured towards the end of the road.

"Thank you, sir." And with a satisfied smirk on his face, he turned to leave. He surely wowed everyone in the mini mart and impressed Zhanna! Surely she thought he was a hero for getting them back on track!

When they left the mini mart he stopped and smiled at her. "Shall we continue to the coffee shop?"

Oh gosh, were they looking at her? At them? They probably assumed that dhe and Vincent were together. Zhanna blushed a little at the idea of her and Vincent being "together", it wouldn't be such a bad thing. Would it? Did Vincent even realize what these people must assume? Did he care? Zhanna overed a small smile to random people that she caught staring.

Zhanna was startled by the sound of Vincent chuckling. A glance up told her that he was smirking. Zhanna wondered what he found to be so amusing. Maybe he thought the stares were amusing. Or maybe he thought that having Zhanna on his arm was amusing. Or maybe he could read minds and was laughing at her! Ah!

An old man was spotted close by. Vincent must have guested that the man was a citizen of Creta; it seemed he have been correct. Zhanna said nothing as Vincent conversed with the older man, but she offered him a smile for his help.

It didn't take long to get the directions from the man. Down the road and take two rights? Of course, Zhanna could have totally found that on her own. Maybe...probably not. Okay, definitely not, but still.

Vincent thanked the man and he went back to hs shopping. Ha, where would they be had not the old man helped them? They then turned to leave. Some people still glanced at them. Vincent's ability to walk so calmly and ask random people for help without stumbling over his words or appearing to be an awkward tourist amazed Zhanna. That either meant he was used to being an awkward tourist, it he was a good people person. Zhanna decided it was definitely the latter. And then back to the issue at hand. The coffee shop. Zhanna blushed a dark shade of red as he asked her about the coffee shop. "Ahha...yes. We should...get to that coffee shop. I knew where it was this entire time...I was just testing you is all!" Zhanna smiled up at Vincent, the blush ever present on her face. She sure played that one off well.

"Alright then." With that Vincent continued walking to the area specified until they were at the end of the road. They had to cross the road in order to be able to turn right. Vincent looked both ways and pulled Zhanna closer before crossing the street. Now why did he go and do something like that? There was no danger...There was nothing for him to gain in that. He must be losing it. He needed to smoke to clear his mind. He was about to just pull out one before he remembered that some people weren't cool with that. "Do you mind if I smoke?" It wasn't like he cared what she thought, no! He just needed to keep his image up. Right? Right. Yeah...

He couldn't wait much longer for a response so he got one out and lit it up. He glanced down at her slightly apologetically then went back to smirking. They continued walking and making the turns. Vincent started to wonder how he ended up leading someone around in a foreign country. He was just THAT good. Haha! Eventually they were at the road where the coffee shop should be. This is when he decided to let her take the lead again.

With a smirk he said "Now that we are back on track..." He gestured forward. "After you."

Zhanna strolled along after Vincent. It was still chilly enough outside to remind her of the cold, but not enough so that it became atrocious. Regardless, Zhanna shivered just the tiniest bit. The crosswalk wasn't busy, but they still had to wait to cross the road. Watching the signal intently, Zhanna waited for the light to change. As it did, Zhanna stepped forward and felt Vincent pull her close. Oh, was there something coming? No, Vincent continued walking along with Zhanna close at his side. What reasoning had he for doing that? Was he just being a nice gentleman, or was there maybe another hidden reason to his kindness?

Zhanna looked up at Vincent. She didn't mind the smell of smoke or anything, but she wondered for a moment why he had picked up such a habit. Wait, why was he asking her for permission? Did he care what she thought? Or perhaps she appeared to be as old as she was and he thought it was proper to ask his seniors for permission! Ah! Zhanna looked up at him, baffled for a second. "Wh- ...sure. Go ahead, sir." Darn it, she had to quit doing that. Didn't he already establish that it was unnecessary for her to refer to him as a sir?

Before Zhanna could finish her sentence, Vincent had whipped out a cigarette. He was learning fast not to ask Zhanna questions, as she took forever to reply. It wasn't her fault she was so easily distracted! Zhanna did notice that he looked down at her apologetically. She smiled back at him with a similar look, quite embarrassed at having taking so long to reply.

It was amazing how well Vincent could follow the directions. She herself had already forgotten where it was the old man had told them to turn. Was it two rights, or thres? Well at least Vincent knew where he was going. Which was almost saddening to Zhanna, as she had previously lived in Creta. It had just been a long time ago and she had never been to this area.

Vincent dropped back as they neared the coffee shop. Zhanna giggled as he gestured forward. "Thank you Vincent. I think I can find the way from here. With another small laugh, Zhanna skipped forward. "Come on then!"

Vincent followed the shorter woman down the sidewalk to what looked to be a small coffee shop. He frowned at how mediocre the place was. It wasn't nearly as fancy as what he was used to, but he was being treated by someone obviously not as rich as he was. He just hoped that they would have what he wanted.

Once he was there he opened the door for Zhanna and let her walk in first. He had to keep being a gentlemen. Couldn't have his marvelous looks disgraced by a "rude" personality. He was often accused of being rude when in reality his personality was just a bit too much for some people. Oh well!

When she walked past him her scent filled his nose and he felt slightly lead headed. She kinda smelled like something floral and sweet. It was amazing. Wait. What just happened? Did he just enjoy her scent? No! That was simply preposterous! Vincent shook his head and followed after her to the counter.

Suddenly he felt a lack of pride when she asked him what she wanted so she could order for him. Wait a minute! Vincent, you knew from the beginning that she was going to treat you! Why do you feel obligated now? He mentally facepalmed. He knew he should swallow his pride and just let her do it, but nooooo! That simply wouldn't do! And so he spoke....

"No, let me. You've done enough by simply getting me here! I feel like I've caused more trouble than originally intended." Before she could resist, he continued with an eyebrow raised and a most prideful smirk on his face. "I insist!" He then turned to the counter and began his order. "I would like a mocha with a tablespoon of sugar. Yes, I want sugar in my mocha. And add a bit more milk than usual, would you? Whole milk. None of that skim stuff. Ah. Yes! The whipped cream should spiral up and the syrup should spiral up with it!" He turned to Zhanna expectantly, hoping he impressed her by his order. "What would you like, Zhanna? I will order for you."

Zhanna frowned a tiny bit. This place was nice and friendly looking to her, but she couldn't help but wonder what Vincent would think of the place. Hopefully he wouldn't see it as being too...poor looking. Zhanna shook the thoughts from her mind, she was treating him to coffee and by George he would enjoy it! Or...maybe not necessarily, Zhanna wasn't that assertive. But she sure hoped he'd enjoy it!

Like the wonderful gentleman he is, Vincent opened the door for Zhanna. "Thank you, Vincent." Zhanna smiled warmly at him before making her way to the counter.

The menu held many various types of coffee, eqch one a little bit different from the other. This one had milk, that one had chocolate instead. This one had caramel, that one had sugar. Zhanna turned to Vincent, figuring it would be easier to order after him. "Okay, what would you like, Vincent?" But oh no, Vincent wouldn't have it. He insisted that he order the drinks. Zhanna frowned and crossed her arms in a pout. "Now that's no fair! I bumped into you, remember? And you got us here!" Zhanna huffed with a small grin before moving up beside Vincent. What an order he had made. How...fanciful. Zhanna was going to order the same thing as Vincent, for the simplicity of it. Instead he ordered a coffee fit for a king. Zhanna blinked, realizing with a sinking feeling that Vincent (whether intentionally or not) had just made her feel worse about her financial status. "I want a...umm...I don't know." Zhanna stared at the menu, searching for something that seemed good. "Can you...uh...order for me? I don't know what I want..."

"Of course." He flashed her a smile so charming it would make even lesbians melt and then turned back to the clerk. "For the lady, perhaps a peppermint mocha? Make it the same as mine except with more sugar."

"Very well sir. Your total is printed on the receipt." The cashier responded, handing him a receipt. Vincent looked at it and frowned. It was far too cheap. He really hoped the quality wasn't too bad. He shrugged and handed the money to the clerk.

Then it donned on him that he totally hijacked their...whatever this was. Whatever it was it most certainly wasn't a date!

He walked with her to the waiting area while their drinks were being prepared. He was sure to stand very proper to portray his amazingness. After a few seconds of silence, Vincent decided he should probably apologize for hijacking their...whatever.

He cleared his throat and said: "I apologize for paying. I realize that you wanted to. I got carried away." He suddenly realized he shouldn't care if he hurt her feelings. He should just be focused on making himself look good...Maybe apologizing to her would make him look like a gentleman? Yeah! That's definitely it!

That smile. That beautiful smile. It sent Zhanna's heart into over drive and had the blood rushing to her cheeks. Why was she getting so flustered around this man? And then he went and smiled at her! Zhanna turned her head to the side with a little embarrassed cough. "Yes. Thank you." Wait, why'd he order her more sugar? Ah, probably a show of how rich and fancy he was. Yeah, that's all.

The silence as they stood waiting was uncomfortable. Zhanna silently grumbled over the fact that Vincent had paid for their coffee. Zhanna had specifically told him that she was going to be buying it. That was the whole point in taking him along this far! Because she bumped into him and had to take him our for coffee to make up for messing up his fancy jacket. Now the whole point was ruined. Vincent seemed to read her mind when he broke the silence.

"I apologize for paying. I realize you wanted to. I got carried away. Zhanna frowned. Maybe she was being too harsh on him in her mind. She shook her head and held up a hand. "Oh, no, it's fine. Thank you." Zhanna smiled reassuringly at him and then turned back to watching the counter for their drinks. Wait...if Vincent paid for their coffee, did that make it a date? No, that's silly. A rich, fancy man like Vincent would never fall for a normal girl like Zhanna. And a girl like her should never let herself fall for a man like him, they'd only end up heartbroken. Zhanna knew this of course, but she still found herself entranced by him. She didn't act like this around other people. Why was she getting so flustered? Get it together Zhanna. He's just another man! ...Only...he's different. Just a little...different.

A short wait later their beverages were ready. Vincent collected them and frowned at the poor excuses of cups they came in. He wasn't very impressed by this place at all but at least they got his order right.

"Alright, Zhanna. The drinks are here. Let's find a table." Vincent said handing Zhanna her drink. He looked around momentarily before deciding on a seat by the window. That way everyone walking by would see him in all his glory with a woman who was almost as attractive as he was.

When they sat down he blew on his mocha lightly before taking a sip. Now was his time to be impressed. It was really good. He most certainly wasn't expecting that this mediocre place would make such a pleasing beverage. He let out a pleased noise and looked at his companion.

"How's your mocha? Is it sweet enough for you?" He put his chin in his palm and added: "You look like you like sweet things..."

It wasn't too long of a wait before their drinks arrived. Zhanna was patient and all, but it was still nice when things went along smoothly and quickly.

The matter of seating. Zhanna didn't mind much at all where they sat, and was all up for the nearest table. Vincent, however, led them to a table near the window. Good old window seat. That way Zhanna could enjoy the outdoor view, the coffe in the warmth, and talk to Vincent in a peaceful environment.

Back to the coffee! Zhanna closed her eyes in bliss as she took a sip. The sharp taste of peppermint warmed her and the added sugar did all that much more to make her feel warm and tingly inside. Hopefully Vincent was enjoying his as well, as hers was amazing!

"How's your mocha? Is it sweet enough for you?" Zhanna smiled and nodded, still holding her mocha. "You look like you like sweet things..." Zhanna giggled and felt herself flush a bit. Was he flirting with her? Oh no, of course not! Couldn't be. Either way, Zhanna was completely oblivious. She never did understand flirting, though she did know when she liked a guy. Which wasn't always well, as she'd just end up getting flustered and embarrassing herself.

"It's delicious! Thank you~" Okay Zhanna. Don't let your hand shake! You're going to spill your coffee! Set the mocha down! Good. Now quick, come up with a smooth reply to what he said! He's flirting with you! Reply with something cutesy, let him know youre interested! Is what Zhanna was thinking, what came out was a lot less intelligible.

"Ah, what? Oh! Yes, I love sweet things!" Now add in something about smoothness and sweet guys and add a wink! Do it! Do it! Why are you just staring at him?! Zhanna, come on! Wake up! Zhanna blinked a couple of times and stuttered. "And...and guys...that are smooth and...like mochas? And sugar." Cue DOUBLE mental facepalm.

Vincent didn't realize until it was too late that he had said something that could be taken flirtatiously. For some reason, he was okay with it. It would be a show of his charisma. Yeah, that's totally why.

He raised his eyebrows at what she said. Her response to his flirtatious remark wasn't exactly what he expected. He expected a giggle or something. What he got back was...well it was something alright. She seemed to be searching for something to say. Maybe his remark got her all flustered. That was better than what he expected.

Vincent gave a low chuckle and took another sip of his beverage. "Mmmm...Good." He nearly purred the words, hoping for her to give him the satisfaction of seeing her flustered once more. It was a serious ego boost to him. Most girls would just flirt back. Some would giggle. But seeing her flustered...Now that was something he liked. Uh! Not that he liked her! Just liked the ego boost... Right. You keep telling yourself that Vincent.

Zhanna took another sip of her mocha. She felt like two different people at the moment. She never acted like this around people. This flustered, girly way wasn't like her. It was all because of that man. That tall, handsome, arrogant man. That had totally turned their coffee time into a date. He probably just didn't realize it. Zhanna giggled to herself and blushed as she thought about it.

She then turned back to Vincent. She studied his face, probably too obviously. His eyes were that smooth color of chocolate. Stop staring, Zhanna. His hair, Zhanna wanted to touch it. Stop staring. Zhanna blushed as Vincent took a sip of his mocha, his voice coming out in something close to a purr. Zhanna's face went bright red when she heard it, for some reason the way he said it sent shivers down her spine. Oh stop it Zhanna! What's wrong with you? You're acting weird! Zhanna, ignoring her inner sanity, just blushed and took another sip of her mocha. Her hand shook just the tiniest bit, but she could play off a tiny spill right? "Ouch! Hot hot, ow!" Zhanna wiped furiously at the coffee that had spilled down her chin. You moron! Look what you did. See I told you that you were acting funny! Admit it, admit you like him! Because arguments within one's own mind are always a swell thing to have after spilling coffee on yourself.