Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom, I'm a big fan and was feeling nostalgic.

~Chapter 14~

Elegance And Etiquette

(Chapter inspired by That's The Way It Is by Céline Dion)

Owen's jaw dropped when they entered the actual restaurant in the next building over. It was designed like a medieval dining hall with crystal chandeliers, silk table cloths, upholstered chairs made of polished mahogany, intricate carpeting that reminded him of more of a tapestry, and a beautiful vaulted ceiling. Everything was evenly lit and the color scheme was warm and welcoming. For the most part anyway if you didn't count a few rich snobs looking down their nose at everyone at the other tables as well as their own waiters. It almost spoiled the overall mood of this place, refined and relaxing.

Now he understood why Vlad insisted on him wearing classier cloths, and when he glanced around at the other people enjoying their meals Owen suddenly felt under-dressed. Especially after seeing a little boy half his age wearing a suit that was virtually identical to the man across from him that Owen assumed was his father...

Speaking of 'fathers,' Owen looked around for him with his eyes while making sure not to swing his head around and look lost but he couldn't see him. Had he fallen behind? Maybe Vlad got tired of hiding as a ghost and resumed his human form, after all the limo should have pulled out in front by now. Either way Owen wasn't too worried and obediently followed his escorts to their private room when something made him stop.

Over in the far corner of the dining room there was an empty table with a single rose resting in a vase, which made it stand out since all of the other tables were more finely adorned. Not a minute later, an elderly man was escorted to that table and as soon as he sat down a shiver ran up Owen's spine and puff of cold air escaped his lips as a woman appeared in the seat directly across from the old man.

She looked like someone taken straight out of a painting. Her eyes were a soft peridot green and her bright red hair was neatly tucked into a bun at the nape of her neck with a net of pearls keeping it in place. However, her pale blue dress was torn slightly at the hem and to Owen's shock he noticed that there was a gaping hole in her chest. Did that mean she was shot by someone? Who was she? His lover? A daughter? Owen wasn't really sure and was tempted to ask when he realized that his bodyguards and a few other patrons were giving him weird looks since he'd been staring at the old man for a solid minute so he shook his head, blushing a little, and walked away.

While passing one of the tables, Owen heard a couple of women whispering to each other, "Isn't that the little boy Vlad Masters is adopting?"

"My word I think it is!" the other whispered back eagerly. "What a strange looking child, but he is rather handsome. I'm sure my daughter Laura could easily woo him."

Rolling her eyes her companion scoffed, "Oh please, that girl of yours wouldn't know the first thing about talking to boys at her age. Now my Alissa on the other hand-"

Owen had half a mind to stop and ask them who exactly they thought was a 'little boy' but thought better of it and ignored them, letting their voices fade as the distance between them grew. He was going to have to get used to people seeing as nothing but a piece of meat attached to the Masters' fortune and anyone with a daughter would be foisting them on him left and right, hoping to ensnare him with their honeyed words. Too bad for them Owen was an excellent judge of character and would see right through most of their lies unless they themselves believed them to be true.

Still, Owen was more concerned about the ghost of the woman he just saw. Who knew there'd be a ghost even in a fancy place like this? Vlad might know something about this so Owen put it on the back-burner for now and settled into the private dining room Vlad reserved for them once the bodyguards scanned it for hidden bugs or cameras then excused themselves now that their job was done. All that was left now was to wait for Vlad to get there either as a ghost or in his human form again.

So in the meantime, Owen admired the look of this room too. Since it was a private room it looked slightly different then the rest of the restaurant, having a single smaller chandelier above the table and only two chairs. The table was large enough to fit at least six people at capacity but since it was in the standard shape of a circle it didn't feel too large when there were only two like there were tonight. Behind the table was a window that peered down to the streets below -because yes Owen had taken the elevator up with the two bodyguards and was now on the top floor- where the city lights looked like stars that had fallen to earth yet continued to flicker against the darkness. It was positioned in such a way that the occupants of the room could look down but no one on the outside could look in through the tinted glass.

On the table itself sat a pair of crystal glasses sat that were cut in such a way at its base that it mimicked frost. Then there were the table settings with the standard fork, knife, spoon, and napkin all neatly folded to their right leaving a space open for the eventual entree's he and Vlad would be ordering. Owen assumed a waiter would be arriving shortly to give them their menus and fill those crystal glasses with water after they ordered their drinks, leaving them for a little while to let them decide on what to eat. To be honest, Owen was a little intimidated by all of this. Sure his parents taught him etiquette so that he'd know what to do if he ever brought a girl somewhere fancy but nothing could have prepared him for this level of refinery and Owen had a feeling that the silverware had been simplified for that exact reason because on Vlad's side of the table there were more spoons and forks then any one person should need...

"Impressed are we?" Vlad chuckled, startling Owen who jerked in his seat and whirled around to look at him.

Holding a hand over his hammering heart, Owen pouted, "Geez, you scared me! I was wondering what happened to you after you sent the-" he stopped however as the waiter walked in behind Vlad, escorting his esteemed guest to his chair which they promptly pulled out then waited for him to settle in before glancing at them both and introducing himself. He was wearing a classic waiter outfit, though it was classier then most, and had a head of platinum blonde hair that was slicked back that made his hazel eyes stand out, being the only colorful feature on him. Other then that he was pretty average looking if you didn't count the overly groomed look of his hair...

"Good evening, my name is Harold and I will be your waiter tonight," he bowed to us, well, mostly to Vlad before handing us our menus. Clapping his hands, Harold signaled for the other waiters or waitresses to come in and pour them some water in those crystal glasses Owen was admiring moments ago. It took every ounce of self control Owen had not to burst out laughing at a scene right out of a movie.

They were asking Vlad what vintage of wine he wanted to drink and upon getting their answer one of them turned to him, a waitress with short curly black hair who smiled as she asked, "And what would you like to drink young man? We have almost everything you'd like to drink here so don't be shy."

Pondering on her question, Owen smiled mischievously and surprised them by ordering the opposite of what they were expecting him to. Being a teenager obviously they must have expected him to order something boring like a Coke or a Dr. Pepper, but no, instead he ordered a Shirley Temple. Even Vlad was taken aback by his choice having expected the same as the rest of them.

"Very good Sirs," Harold bowed again, shooing the other two away. "We'll be back shortly with your drinks and will be ready to take your order whenever you're ready. Should you need anything I will be attending to the guests in the other private rooms. I hope you enjoy your visit with us tonight Mr. Masters."

Raising an eyebrow, Vlad smiled a little too sweetly and pointed out, "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

Paling a bit, the man swallowed and inclined his head at Owen, "O-of course not, I was referring to both of you. Now if you'll excuse me."

After that he made a hasty retreat and Owen noticed a slight flush in his cheeks and a flicker of indignity but it wasn't that big of a deal. Once they were alone, Owen called Vlad out on it. "You didn't have to put him on the spot like that Vlad. He's just doing his job."

Folding his legs and resting his hands on one knee, Vlad nodded and replied coolly, "Exactly. And when he's serving such important clients it is imperative that he not forget to address each and every one of his guests properly. The fact that you are still an adolescent is no excuse for blatantly ignoring you. Especially when you're my son. I will not stand being shown such disrespect and you shouldn't either."

With a sigh, Owen relented, "Yeah I get the picture, you don't have to say it." Smiling playfully Owen adopted a very formal and regal tone, mirroring Vlad's posture and said dramatically, "As your only heir I will be expected to uphold the name of Masters. We may not be related by blood but soon I will become a part of the family and everything will be different. Because of that name alone and the power it holds, people will seek to use, destroy, and humiliate you regardless of how you treat them so you must stand tall. Whether you are kindly or cruel they will want to use me so I mustn't let my guard down even for a second. They're vultures, the lot of them! You should know since you have three actual vulture ghosts that serve under you. Ha ha ha."

"Owen I'm being serious," Vlad frowned, unamused.

Shaking his head, Owen chuckled, "So am I. For the most part anyway. You worry too much Vlad. I've been through all of this before remember? A long time ago I was a Ravenheart and they were upper-class citizens too. I overheard some older lady's at a table I passed plotting to play matchmaker with their daughters. Speaking of which, I saw something else interesting. But before I tell you, where do you wander off to before? I lost sight of you once the bodyguards led me to the elevator."

Recomposing himself Vlad admitted, "I got a little distracted but I assure you, once I realized I'd stayed behind too long I easily caught up with you. Once I was sure you were safely inside the restaurant I went back to the limo and made my grand entrance. We'll probably see pictures of me in the paper tomorrow wondering if I came here on a date with a celebrity or to meet with a client, bent on buying their business from them like I have so many others. Too bad they don't know I'm simply enjoying a nice father and son dinner this evening."

"Ah, I thought that might have been it," Owen nodded, tracing the rim of his glass and smiling again as it started to hum softly. "So anyway...while we were walking past those matchmaker-moms I noticed and empty table with a single rose in a vase on it where an old man sat there alone but there was an empty chair placed in front of him. I was wondering, do you know anything about him? He looks familiar, like some famous musician or something."

"Oh, you must mean Edgar Von Strauss," Vlad pondered. "I come to this restaurant often so I've seen him here quite a lot. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I saw the ghost of a woman appear in the seat across from him. She had red hair tied in a bun at the base of her neck, green eyes, was wearing a blue dress, and had a bullet wound in her chest," Owen said as-a-matter-of-factually, ignoring how Vlad's eyes widened in surprise.

Clearing his throat and glancing at the door to make sure it wasn't going to open any time soon Vlad explained, "The woman you're likely referring to is the late Aisling Von Strauss, his younger sister who was killed just outside one night when someone tried to rob them. Are you telling me you saw her ghost?"

Glancing out the window, Owen nodded, "Yeah I did. I was tempted to go over there and say something but, we promised no ghosts tonight. Well, not talking about them anyway. I just was wondering if you knew anything. I can't do anything without causing a scene anyway so I'll just have to leave them be I guess."

Picking up his menu and motioning for Owen to do the same, Vlad stated clearly, "It is not up to you to save EVERY ghost you come across Owen, the amount of time and effort you would have to put in is something no single person could handle so you were right to leave well enough alone. We've discussed this. I don't want you going around playing hero like Daniel does. I've seen how difficult it can be and you have enough on your plate as it is adjusting to our new life together. As long as you live under my roof there are rules you have to follow, rules that I've neglected to make very clear given the Nocturne incident. I want you to receive a proper education, and start preparing for the future. I will not stand idly by while you throw away any possibility of a future because you feel forced into the role of savior to all ghosts. Yes, perhaps you ARE their only hope. But that doesn't mean they have the right to dictate how you live the rest of your life. The only reason I'm doing so right now is because you've already sacrificed so much and I want you to rely on me and see that you do have a choice now regarding your future and someone who is willing to provide you with all the necessary skills you need to lead a productive life that balances both what you want with what you have to do. But enough about that, order whatever you like because Harold will be back any minute to check up on us."

To redeem himself after the slip up earlier Harold took Owen's order first. Vlad had to explain what a few things on the menu were since they were in a foreign language but Owen managed to order something called a Chicken Kiev, which was a breaded chicken breast stuffed with garlic and parsley in a buttery sauce. As a side Owen ordered steamed broccoli and herbed rice.

Vlad meanwhile ordered a dish called Salmon Wellington with Dilled Hollandaise, since Owen got him in the mood for a dish served with herbs. It would go well with the wine he ordered anyway. And after that, Vlad finally commented on how surprised he was when Owen ordered a Shirley Temple as his drink and was honestly curious as to what it was exactly. Owen explained it was basically just Sprite with cherry Grenadine, a type of syrup. Even Vlad knew what Grenadine was since there were a few drinks he enjoyed that used it as well but this was the first time he'd heard that it was commonly used in a non-alcholic beverage as well.

At first their discussion had started out more serious then he'd hoped but eventually Vlad manuvered the coversation towards the more relaxed subjects such as hiring Owen's tutor and getting ready for their next interview with the social workers. He even brought up the possibility of hiring a ghost tutor that was highly recommended to him named Ghost Writer. Owen wasn't thrilled with the idea at first until he remembered that not all ghosts were evil and told Vlad he'd keep an open mind about it. When Vlad mentioned that Ghost Writer was as much of an avid reader as Owen and loved poetry though it made him feel a little more comfortable with the idea. After all, how evil could a ghostly poet really be...?

"You're really determined to get me used to being around ghosts, aren't you?" Owen laughed, finishing the last bite of chicken and feeling kind of sad about it since it was amazing before his expression grew more serious upon realizing it was almost time to head back home. "Do I detect a bit of concern that I'm still not used to your ghost half? Vlad I got over that a long time ago. The problem now is that miasma that's built up over the years that you never realized it because it doesn't effect you, you can't see it, but it comes from how you felt and left echoes of those feelings in the form of that strange fog. Even then, something feels off about it, like it's not just your feelings mixed into it but someone elses. I'm not sure who since there's no way it's the Dairy King you told me about. Has anyone else lived in that castle or was it just him?"

"There was a previous owner yes but he moved away long before I arrived and died before the Dairy King took residence there," Vlad replied, wiping his mouth and setting the napkin aside. "Are you sure you want to do this tonight? We've had quite a rough time the last two days."

Owen just rolled his eyes, "Yes I'm sure, you took me out to have an amazing dinner and getting away from that stuff really helped to clear my head. I didn't realize until it was too later how much it had gotten to me. Guess I still have a long way to go before I'm immune to the power of darkness too, or at least more resistant to it. Besides, the longer we leave the mansion like that the more likely it'll be that I'll have another meltdown and ruin everything we've worked so hard for if a social worker makes a surprise visit. No Vlad, we have to get this done now."

"Very well Owen, if you're sure about this," Vlad relented, but not before adding with a wicked smile, "However, I do have one more excuse up my sleeve I can use to delay our departure a little while longer. Think you have enough room for dessert Owen?"

"Vlad, that's not even a question," Owen smirked back just as wickedly. "I'll always have room for dessert..."