Holding on to both Horace's and Asriel's arms, she was led through the doors and into the restaurant. There was a quiet and constant murmur of conversation hovering in the air, but it seemed slightly quieter as she walked through the door. The lights were dim and candles light each table. She stopped just inside the door to look around at the extravagance of the place. The white and burgundy tablecloths gave the restaurant a romantic kind of feel, as did the candles and the roses in the center of each table. She wasn't able to look around very much before being pulled along by her two escorts who seemed in a hurry. She was led past the bar and across the far end of the dance floor to a small private room. It was like a booth, except there were walls surrounding it. There were two men guarding the entrance to the secluded table and continued to do so as the two escorts came right up to them.
"Who is this?" one of the light brown haired men asked Horace.
"This is Blade's guest. She'll be dining with him this evening." Asriel cut in before Horace could say a word. The other man with the light brown hair nodded and stepped aside at the same time the man who asked about Alex did and revealed that the tiny room held a large and extravagant table with a silver three tiered candelabra surrounded with a few red roses. The tablecloths were the same, and the chairs looked extremely comfortable. Blade wasn't in the room, and Alex wondered where he was. She didn't want to sit here and wait for him longer than she had to.
"Please have a seat miss, Mr. McGowan should be returning shortly. There was some business he had to attend to. It came up rather suddenly." One of the brown haired men said with a cracked smile. She slowly wandered to a seat and sat down. It was right next to another, which was probably where Blade was going to sit. As soon as she was in her chair, the two men stepped away from the doorway and a red mesh curtain veiled the doorway. The glitter caught the light from the candles and sparkled like tiny stars. She waited and watched through the transparent curtain as people exited and entered the restaurant. The view of the bar was wonderful. It was entirely glass and frosted in different designs and had been lighted in different areas. She was analyzing one particular design when a tall man with long, straight, dark brown hair that had been pulled into a ponytail sat right in front of it. She saw him look over into the room where she sat, but she looked away when he noticed her. It was bad enough she was meeting Blade for dinner, what would Spike say if she wound up bringing home another man? So she sat and waited, hoping to get this night over and done with as soon as possible.
Spike parked the Swordfish on the roof and used the fire escapes to climb down to the ground. He moved quickly, knowing he didn't have much time and didn't want to miss anything that happened between Alex and Blade; he wanted to make sure she would stay safe. as he reached the ground, he walked around to the door and entered the building. He was amazed with the interior and the hostess asked him where he wanted to sit.
"A place at the bar for one would be just fine." He said with a smile. The hostess nodded and led him over, letting him sit on a chair near the end of the bar. She handed him a menu and walked away. He picked it up and read through it and selected something before folding it back up and setting it down. Where was she? Spike scanned the restaurant looking for her. It was when he caught sight of a beautiful young woman inside a small room, closed off with a curtain of red transparent material he realized that she was going out of the frying pan and into the fire on this one. Behind that curtain, she looked like a beautiful untouchable doll that was watching over all that was in the restaurant. He realized she was looking at him and he smiled. She quickly looked away, but all he could do was smile at the gorgeous young girl. A bartender took his order and got him a drink.
"Eh, you checkin' out that fine little number up there?" the bartender asked him.
"Yeah, she's a cute one don't ya think?" Spike asked with a smile. The bartender let out a slight chuckle as he poured Spike's drink.
"Good luck pal, she's here with a big time business man, if that's what you want to call him."
"What do you mean?" Spike asked. He already knew she was here with Blade.
"Well, she's the guest of Blade McGowan, the head of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate. A hell of a business if you ask me." he said sliding the drink to Spike.
"Head of the Red Dragon eh? I don't see him in there anywhere."
"He left only a few minutes before she got here. He got a call and had to take care of something if you catch my drift."
"Really now."
"Yep, and from what I hear of that little fox up there, she's an old friend of his and his romantic interest. Rumor has it, he wants her to be his wife." Spike almost sprayed his drink all over the bar. His heart skipped several beats as he swallowed the drink.
"No way! Not that girl and not to that Blade guy!" he said questioning the bartender. The bartender only nodded.
"Yep. No one knows who she is, what she does, or where she's been all these years, but that's what I hear from someone who works for the Red Dragon. She comes in here drinking a lot and winds up getting drunk enough to start spilling all sorts of things."
"Well now, ain't that a bitch." Spike said as he returned to his drink and glanced over at his beautiful girl.
"What's your name buddy?" the bartender asked.
"Lee. You?"
"Ricardo. Nice to meet you Lee." Both of them went about their own business; Spike stared at Alex, amazed with her beauty, and Ricardo served his customers. Alex kept glancing at him nervously but all Spike could do was chuckle to himself.
"Ricardo."
"Yeo?"
"Pour the girl a hard lemonade for me. Send it over to her right away." Spike said as he kept his eyes on her with a smile.
"Alright, but I'm warning you now. If you get shit for it, it isn't my fault, got it?" Spike nodded. Ricardo poured a glass and went over himself to give it to her. The two men guarding the door questioned him, but let him pass after one of them took a tiny sip. He seemed to be talking to her for a moment and then gave her the drink. At first, she didn't take it, but then she did as she found out who it was from. She waved to Spike, still having no idea it was him, and sipped the drink. As Ricardo returned, she called him back. She handed him the drink and he came back to the bar with it.
"Well?" Spike asked.
"She wasn't sure at first, but then she took it. I was coming back and she gave it to me and told me she wasn't thirsty. But she did say thank you anyway."
"Eh, it was worth a try." He said as he returned to his drink. Just then the sound of screaming could be heard from outside as the doors were opened everyone in the restaurant looked up to see the tall and silver haired Blade McGowan walk through the door with a bouquet of two dozen roses at his side in his left hand. He stood there surveying the entire restaurant for a moment, but then walked swiftly towards the tiny room where he saw Alex waiting. As he walked, his hair was brushed out of his face with the force of him walking, as was his Red Dragon coat. A chill went down Spike's back as Blade walked by, and a sick feeling began churning in his stomach. Alex was in for something big and Spike wished he could warn her without being found out.
"Who is this?" one of the light brown haired men asked Horace.
"This is Blade's guest. She'll be dining with him this evening." Asriel cut in before Horace could say a word. The other man with the light brown hair nodded and stepped aside at the same time the man who asked about Alex did and revealed that the tiny room held a large and extravagant table with a silver three tiered candelabra surrounded with a few red roses. The tablecloths were the same, and the chairs looked extremely comfortable. Blade wasn't in the room, and Alex wondered where he was. She didn't want to sit here and wait for him longer than she had to.
"Please have a seat miss, Mr. McGowan should be returning shortly. There was some business he had to attend to. It came up rather suddenly." One of the brown haired men said with a cracked smile. She slowly wandered to a seat and sat down. It was right next to another, which was probably where Blade was going to sit. As soon as she was in her chair, the two men stepped away from the doorway and a red mesh curtain veiled the doorway. The glitter caught the light from the candles and sparkled like tiny stars. She waited and watched through the transparent curtain as people exited and entered the restaurant. The view of the bar was wonderful. It was entirely glass and frosted in different designs and had been lighted in different areas. She was analyzing one particular design when a tall man with long, straight, dark brown hair that had been pulled into a ponytail sat right in front of it. She saw him look over into the room where she sat, but she looked away when he noticed her. It was bad enough she was meeting Blade for dinner, what would Spike say if she wound up bringing home another man? So she sat and waited, hoping to get this night over and done with as soon as possible.
Spike parked the Swordfish on the roof and used the fire escapes to climb down to the ground. He moved quickly, knowing he didn't have much time and didn't want to miss anything that happened between Alex and Blade; he wanted to make sure she would stay safe. as he reached the ground, he walked around to the door and entered the building. He was amazed with the interior and the hostess asked him where he wanted to sit.
"A place at the bar for one would be just fine." He said with a smile. The hostess nodded and led him over, letting him sit on a chair near the end of the bar. She handed him a menu and walked away. He picked it up and read through it and selected something before folding it back up and setting it down. Where was she? Spike scanned the restaurant looking for her. It was when he caught sight of a beautiful young woman inside a small room, closed off with a curtain of red transparent material he realized that she was going out of the frying pan and into the fire on this one. Behind that curtain, she looked like a beautiful untouchable doll that was watching over all that was in the restaurant. He realized she was looking at him and he smiled. She quickly looked away, but all he could do was smile at the gorgeous young girl. A bartender took his order and got him a drink.
"Eh, you checkin' out that fine little number up there?" the bartender asked him.
"Yeah, she's a cute one don't ya think?" Spike asked with a smile. The bartender let out a slight chuckle as he poured Spike's drink.
"Good luck pal, she's here with a big time business man, if that's what you want to call him."
"What do you mean?" Spike asked. He already knew she was here with Blade.
"Well, she's the guest of Blade McGowan, the head of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate. A hell of a business if you ask me." he said sliding the drink to Spike.
"Head of the Red Dragon eh? I don't see him in there anywhere."
"He left only a few minutes before she got here. He got a call and had to take care of something if you catch my drift."
"Really now."
"Yep, and from what I hear of that little fox up there, she's an old friend of his and his romantic interest. Rumor has it, he wants her to be his wife." Spike almost sprayed his drink all over the bar. His heart skipped several beats as he swallowed the drink.
"No way! Not that girl and not to that Blade guy!" he said questioning the bartender. The bartender only nodded.
"Yep. No one knows who she is, what she does, or where she's been all these years, but that's what I hear from someone who works for the Red Dragon. She comes in here drinking a lot and winds up getting drunk enough to start spilling all sorts of things."
"Well now, ain't that a bitch." Spike said as he returned to his drink and glanced over at his beautiful girl.
"What's your name buddy?" the bartender asked.
"Lee. You?"
"Ricardo. Nice to meet you Lee." Both of them went about their own business; Spike stared at Alex, amazed with her beauty, and Ricardo served his customers. Alex kept glancing at him nervously but all Spike could do was chuckle to himself.
"Ricardo."
"Yeo?"
"Pour the girl a hard lemonade for me. Send it over to her right away." Spike said as he kept his eyes on her with a smile.
"Alright, but I'm warning you now. If you get shit for it, it isn't my fault, got it?" Spike nodded. Ricardo poured a glass and went over himself to give it to her. The two men guarding the door questioned him, but let him pass after one of them took a tiny sip. He seemed to be talking to her for a moment and then gave her the drink. At first, she didn't take it, but then she did as she found out who it was from. She waved to Spike, still having no idea it was him, and sipped the drink. As Ricardo returned, she called him back. She handed him the drink and he came back to the bar with it.
"Well?" Spike asked.
"She wasn't sure at first, but then she took it. I was coming back and she gave it to me and told me she wasn't thirsty. But she did say thank you anyway."
"Eh, it was worth a try." He said as he returned to his drink. Just then the sound of screaming could be heard from outside as the doors were opened everyone in the restaurant looked up to see the tall and silver haired Blade McGowan walk through the door with a bouquet of two dozen roses at his side in his left hand. He stood there surveying the entire restaurant for a moment, but then walked swiftly towards the tiny room where he saw Alex waiting. As he walked, his hair was brushed out of his face with the force of him walking, as was his Red Dragon coat. A chill went down Spike's back as Blade walked by, and a sick feeling began churning in his stomach. Alex was in for something big and Spike wished he could warn her without being found out.