Later that day as Cat meets with Jade outside the house
"so any news" asks Cat
"yeah they're here, in long Beach, however there's a problem, they're dating and their mothers prevented a relationship between them because it would be 'a political scandal' for their fathers, they came here willingly on the condition that their handler let's them date, their parents status in society gives them extra freedom to move around a little so long as they keep their mouths shut, their 'trafficker' only kidnapped teens for money in Italy, unfortunately he has a gambling problem and lost the hundred grand he'd borrowed from the big boss of the trafficking ring on slots and was forced to traffic high class teens, Bianca and Alessia negotiated those terms before they were trafficked, I've spoken to them, they won't return if their mothers don't stay out of their life, otherwise they'll stay here and either way they can only be released after he's paid the hundred grand, most of the traffickers are evil but Naomi did mention that at least they're not sex traffickers, he's also willing to turn on the traffickers if he gets paid, he only does what he does because he's a fashion designer who lost his job in the crash, he was ok with kidnappings local to Sicily because he needed the money, he's never believed in kidnapping someone and taking them halfway across the world to profit off them, his daughters have severe medical disabilities and all the travel he had to do to help them drained his bank account so he had to do whatever it took to make ends meet, as it stands HE works and sends money back to his family, he doesn't let Bianca and Alessia work very much, they desire to stay hidden from media so he helps them by working the job they were supposed to work and tell the ring they're the ones working" says Jade
"wait former fashion designer as in Magic Victor, we all assumed he was dead" says Cat
"yeah, wait how do you know him by that name, he came to the US under the name Nathan James, he fears that his family hates him for what he's become" says Jade
"if they hate him at all they haven't said anything, though his wife is in and out of the hospital having repeat anxiety attacks because she goes to bed hoping he'll be back when she wakes up then when she wakes up he's not there and she absolutely panics, his daughters work for me, they're absolutely certain he's dead and he taught them about fashion, honestly I've never met two teens as creative as me before" says Cat
"the thing is he's absolutely terrified about going back" says Jade
"ok enough shop talk, I'll fill Rosella in but I came here specifically to talk to Tori about a date" says Cat
"she's agreed to talk about a date sometime in the future but she was blinded by that tanker truck when it exploded, luckily she was far enough back that she wasn't seriously harmed but her car was destroyed, the label that was going to sign a one year contract heard that someone has been paying eight people to keep an eye on her and became convinced that she's insane and won't even consider her ever, she's emotionally in shambles, she doesn't want you to commit to a relationship when she can't even see you, she likens it to you taking care of a blind elderly woman, she has nightmares about it" says Jade
"well I made reservations already, the mayor agreed to my price for all the buildings that were property of the bad modelling agency and I sent out letters to all the old models to let them know they have a job again, it'd be more a celebratory dinner than anything else, oh and I'll be moving back here next month, I bought a beach house next to Naomi's" says Cat
"Naomi is Tori's twin sister, David found the adoption papers last month and contacted them, as of tomorrow Naomi is also my girlfriend, now let's go let you talk to Tori before she gets bored and separates for the night" says Jade walking Cat into her rather small home
"Tori can we talk about us" says Cat
"we can't be anything until I get better, I mean IF I get better, I don't want you having to take care of me for the rest of our lives" says Tori
"I thought you said it would be like a week until she gets her vision back" asks Cat
"she doesn't believe the doctor is telling the truth" says Jade
"whether you get better or not Tori I love you, moving to Italy was a mistake, I got upset that you cancelled our movie night for Brad, I wasn't thinking clearly, I never should have left" says Cat as she eyes Naomi up
"actually leaving is the best thing you could have done Cat, the other big modelling agencies would have squeezed you out of America anyway, now you're too big to squeeze out, you made a name for yourself that makes the other agencies jealous, you pay everyone in your modelling agency a very livable wage, I assume you have reservations which is why you asked about us so early" says Tori
"I do have reservations but it doesn't have to be a date, I was thinking more a celebration dinner celebrating my new headquarters here, I want you as my right hand girl, it's been hard getting a fair shake anywhere, I only got my roots in Rome because Jade invested millions into the agency, people took notice then and started also invested in Valentine Modelling Co, you have name recognition here" says Cat
"what the hell let's call it a date, also I don't have the name recognition you think I have" says Tori
"trust me you do, but none of your fans besides me know you released music on your own and I only know about it because I searched your name every day hoping you would, people expected you to make a post about it when you release music" says Cat as Tori gets up to hug Cat and kiss her cheek
"wait you walked over to Cat, isn't your vision still an issue" says Naomi shocked at how easily Tori found Cat from across the room
"it's blurry but that doesn't mean I can't see anything, it's just not clear like it used to be, besides Cat's the tiniest one here and I'd recognize her anywhere any time, she's quite hard to miss, so Cat when's the reservation for" says Tori
"two hours from now, I was honestly expecting more of a fight against a date situation, if you're up for it maybe we can cuddle a bit" says Cat
"ok but ONLY cuddles, I still have boundaries, I'm not ready for a full blown relationship yet, not till I'm better" says Tori
"I respect your boundaries, I wasn't planning on doing anything extra, I've missed out on so much by leaving, I'm not looking to rush things" says Cat
"that's very mature of you Cat" says Jade as Tori kisses Cat on the cheek again making Cat blush
"hey I may be childish at heart but even I had to grow up sometime" says Cat
"let's leave these love birds be and go cuddle and prepare for our first date" says Tori as she leads Cat to the spare bedroom
"I have to be honest, I wasn't sure about your certainty that Cat is down to earth but seeing her in person showed me she very much is" says Naomi cuddling Jade on the couch
"she's quite the airhead most of the time but when it's something or someone she cares about she can be very on point, also she owns a freaking solar powered mini yacht that she lives in ninety percent of the time, it's bigger than your average boat but small than the smallest yacht, she detest flying unless absolutely necessary, usually entailing business deals, she sent out letters of job offers to ALL the models from the old agency, including you once the mayor approved of her price" says Jade
"yeah Diana told me she received a letter but she's not sure if it's real, she said the pay was like triple what she used to get" says Naomi
"she pays all her models that much, however she does tend to expect that you donate to charities at least twice a year, in the next few weeks she'll be holding interviews with all the models, the ones that pull her designs off best get better pay, she was eyeing you up, I feel like her designs will work wonders on you and you'll get a big bonus" says Jade
"wait she was eyeing me up for business reasons, I was almost about to say something to her about how creepy it made her look" asks Naomi
"she's borderline autistic, she has some of the common traits but not enough for an official diagnosis, since starting Valentine Modelling she's gotten bolder about eyeing up potential models, one time it nearly got her arrested, though to be fair the father was very protective of his disabled daughter, she handed the daughter her business card and the next day the dad phoned and apologized, apparently it had been his daughters dream since she was little to be a model, but she'd been denied every time, Cat accepted the apology and hired the girl, that girl now makes more than both her parents combined, their income now goes towards extra disability aides for their daughter and she pays all the bills" says Jade
"Cat's got a big heart that's for sure, unfortunately here in LA that could lead to her being taken advantage of, something I learned pretty quickly after my adoptive parents died a few years back and I moved here from Seattle" says Naomi
"trust me she's already been through all that, my ex and I really put her through a lot, my ex and I fought a lot, mostly because the girls he'd help get to their school would constantly flirt with him and he wouldn't tell them to stop despite him knowing it hurts me, we'd end up dragging Cat to the janitors closet then fight and make her choose, it more often than not led to her fainting, she ended up in the hospital a few times with bruises and a concussion because she'd hit the floor faster than she could brace herself, though that's often because my ex would pull her towards him hoping it would make her take his side only to push her back when she close my side, it was a very toxic relationship and though my ex was a major contributor I wasn't entirely free of fault" says Jade
"that's fair I guess, I admit I'm curious as to what they're doing in that room, they're not exactly quiet cuddles are they" says Naomi
"cuddling for Cat has a totally different meaning" says Jade
"but Tori stated that she wasn't ready for a full blown relationship, sex isn't usually something that happens like that, at least not in my experience" says Naomi
"I'm surprised they're even in the same room, I'm not surprised its happening however, Tori's been desperate for time alone with Cat ever since Brad broke up with her because she told him she's bisexual" says Jade
"wait why is it a surprise that they're in the same room, did something happen between them" says Naomi curious
"let's just say they had a big fight, I won't get into details, also by the sounds of it nothing is actually happening, they're probably faking to scare you" says Jade
"why fake it" asks Naomi, scared because she doesn't understand why someone would fake having sex
"let's just say Cat's tends to test people, especially possible employees, she knows you're autistic, she also knows you never tried to stand up against your old manager, call her on it, trust me she won't hold it against you, in fact she'll respect you even more, besides she's only doing it because you're dating me" says Jade
"I choose not to participate in such tests, it's unprofessional and my old manager was a creep but his boss told me I'd be fired if I reported it" says Naomi heading to bed alone
1 hour and a half later as Cat and Tori come back to the living room before heading to the restaurant
"where's Naomi" asks Cat
"she chose not to participate in your test" says Jade
"what test, that noise was real" says Tori
"wait so you guys actually had sex" asks Jade as shocked as Naomi first was
"I wouldn't call it sex, you certainly wouldn't but I admit I was curious about what that area was like and as Cat tends to cuddle with me in only her underwear we experimented a little but it definitely wasn't sex, Cat's just extra sensitive to touch" says Tori
"what do you mean by experiment exactly" asks Jade
"touching and running hands along each other's body, Brad, as bad as he was cheating wise he was asexual so we never did anything remotely close to sex, he was a kisser only, I've never touched anyone down there before and I wanted to at least have some experience with touch before agreeing to any relationship, you need to tell Naomi that you were wrong" says Tori
"I have to admit I was definitely wrong and I'm sorry, also that dress looks amazing on you Tori, I've never seen it before" says Jade
"it's from my newest line, it's not public yet but it is based on complimentary colors for Latinas and Italians, as in it is mostly based on Tori's skin tones so it'll work quite well for Naomi as well, I also have a lingerie line coming up as well" says Cat
"Naomi's autistic, don't bring those clothing lines up to her without telling her it's not meant to be an attempt at sexualizing her to her fans, you need to be careful how you word things" says Jade
"yeah and so do you obviously, this isn't how I test new employees, now Tori and I have a restaurant date to get to" says Cat
"will Tori be coming back here tonight, she registered with the hospital that I'm her guardian until her vision returns" asks Jade
"no I'll be staying the night with Cat, no need for you to misunderstand anything we do or don't do" says Tori
"fair enough so long as you're back by morning, the hospital expects me to keep them updated" says Jade
"I'm actually taking a trip to Canada with Cat, specifically Victoria British Columbia, there's a label that reached out to me that wants to sign me, I already informed the hospital about it and they instructed Cat to keep you informed about my eyesight situation, I'll be back in a few days" says Tori
"and what am I supposed to do until then" asks Jade
"I don't know, make love to Naomi for all I care, I've never been to Canada before and I don't want to burden you with the ticket cost" says Tori
"well ok then, please keep in touch with me though, I've kinda gotten used to us being close friends and not having you around might cause me pain" says Jade
"what you have feelings for me or something" asks Tori half joking
"I wouldn't call them feelings but you definitely don't annoy me anymore, Naomi's a lot more touchy than you are, you don't get offended easily" says Jade
"oh believe me I get offended, I'm just the kind of person that vents to a diary instead of making problems" says Tori as they leave
20 minutes later at the restaurant
"Miss Valentine, I wasn't sure the reservation was real when you called, we get quite a lot of prank reservations here" says Manager Valerie Foster
"I haven't been in LA in a long time and my parents always used to bring me here when they weren't taking care of my brother" says Cat
"fair enough so table for one" asks Valerie not realizing Tori's here with Cat
"no I'm here on a date with Tori" says Cat
"ahh ok right this way then we'll get you a private room" says Valerie
"not necessary, just the table I reserved will be fine" says Cat
"you sure, we're quite swamped with customers because they found out somehow that you made a reservation here, you may be a famous designer but you deserve privacy too" says Valerie
"then a private room will be fine but don't rush any food, I want time to have conversations with my soon to be girlfriend" says Cat
"fair enough though the chef will likely make your meals a priority as it is customary for private room customers to get priority meals" says Valerie
"priority is fine but no rush, if someone else orders a meal before we do they should get it first" says Cat as Valerie leads them to the private room as people stare as they walk by, mostly at Tori's dress
"is that a Valentine special" asks a fan as Cat ignores them and they enter the private room
"I have to admit I'm as curious as that fan" says Valerie
"it's a one off based on an upcoming line with colors tuned to Latina skin tones, there will also be a line for Italians" says Cat
"ok fair enough, here are your menus, take your time" says Valerie as she leaves
"wait you told me this was part of the upcoming line not a one off" says Tori
"it is part of the upcoming line but this particular dress is custom designed to fit your body" says Cat
"admit it you just wanted to see me in a tight fitting dress" says Tori
"I mean that is part of it but not the whole story, anyway what were you thinking for an appetizer" says Cat
"I can't read the menu, the font is too small" says Tori
"ok fancy bread sticks it is" says Cat typing out the order on the provided tablet
"have you ever been with anyone seriously" asks Tori
"not particularly, not since Danny, him willingly kissing you ended that relationship" says Cat
"but it wasn't just his fault, my mistake counts too" says Tori
"you're cute thinking you were the first person he cheated on me with, I just never knew who they were" says Cat
"so him specifically kissing ME was the problem" asks Tori
"as nuts as my brother can be he's polyamorous so I wasn't blind to the idea of people dating multiple people, I was fine with Danny dating other people so long as he kept clean and got tested" says Cat
"so you're not a virgin" asks Tori saddened that she might not be Cat's first
"oh no I am, at least when it comes to sex with other people, I play with myself a lot but I've never actually had sex before" says Cat
"so I'm your first" asks Tori
"you will be yes, now let's avoid private talk in public" says Cat as the appetizers arrive
"date going well so far" asks Valerie
"I'm not saying anything if you're telling anyone, just because you're a family friend doesn't mean you get inside information to spread around, your mother was known to spread lies" says Cat
"for the record I hate my mother's guts Cat, what she did was vile, if I wanted to tell your fans in the restaurant I wouldn't have warned you about them being here I'm curious because you don't usually go on dates, certainly not since high school so Tori must really mean something to you to go on a date with her" says Valerie
"so you're only asking because my behavior is seemingly out of place, do I have that right" asks Cat getting right to the point
"correct, besides Tori's probably a really good fit for you" says Valerie
"I wish my parents agreed with you, they haven't talked to me in years, not since I told them about how I feel about Tori" says Cat
"trust me your brother's been giving them hell about that, he doesn't approve of many people but Tori he approves of" says Valerie
"you're dating him aren't you, you know he's poly right" asks Cat
"he may be polyamorous but he calls me his queen and no we aren't exactly dating, his mental health really puts wrinkles in things, at best we're friends who sleep in the same bed and do nothing sexual" says Valerie
"not just anyone gets to sleep in his bed, trust me he rants about it all the time, he might be willing to be monogamous for you of you proposed to him" says Cat
"I would never ask him to change for me, forcing him to change would probably kill me, besides I don't make enough money to get even a modest ring, rest and food pretty much take my entire paycheck and he eats like crazy" says Valerie as Tori nibbles on a bread stick
"you wouldn't be forcing him to change, he once told me he only dates multiple people because he feels you're way out of his league and would never consider a serious long term relationship with him because of his instability" says Cat
"then why not call what he and I have a relationship" asks Valerie
"he's giving you an out, a way to leave if you no longer want to be around him, calling you his girlfriend in his eyes means it's HIS job to protect you, he won't make a solo relationship with you a thing unless you show a willingness to stay around" says Cat
"how do you know all this" asks Tori confused as to how Cat knows so much about her brother and fearing the worst
"because he views 'little sister' the same way, until I told him that calling me his little sister was ok he would tell his friends I'm his 'sibling' as a sign of respect" says Cat
"wait so Brandon thought you might be trans" asks Valerie
"God no but he's very accepting, he never really knew what went through my head, he figured that gender neutral words would give me options if I felt that being his sister no longer fit, until you tell him you want to be his sole girlfriend he'll assume you don't want him to be your boyfriend long term" says Cat
"thank you, you might have just saved me a meltdown, anyway these appetizers are on the house" says Valerie
"no I can't allow you to give me free food" says Cat
"you misunderstand, there's a deal on today, free apps or half off three course meal" says Valerie
"I'd prefer the half off, I don't like being handed things for free, traumatic memories" says Cat
"ok well don't forget to order three meals" says Valerie as she leaves
"how close a family friend is she exactly" asks Tori getting jealous
"pretty close but not in the way you're thinking, she's not interested in women, especially not my age, Brandon is four years older than her but he got held back by mean teachers because he was bad at math, he was also bullied until she became his friend, she protected him, anyway its not all that interesting anyway, just eat the bread sticks" says Cat
"don't you want any" asks Tori finishing her second bread stick
"I was planning to but the texture is off" says Cat
"you're autistic aren't you, Jade mentioned something about that" asks Tori
"does it really matter" asks Cat hoping to change the subject
"why avoid the question, I don't care one way or another I'm just curious, I was tested when I was four but my doctor decided that 'girls can't be autistic', besides if we start dating seriously then me knowing stuff like this is important" says Tori
"doctors here are terrified of my dad so as far as they're concerned I'll never be autistic, I had to get tested in Rome under an assumed name so my parents didn't find out" says Cat
"your brother protecting you makes more sense knowing you're autistic" says Tori
"yeah but it didn't stop him from eating my jewelry whenever he got a chance" says Cat leaning on Tori
"you tired" asks Tori
"a little but that's the jetlag talking, I'll be more awake when we decide on food" says Cat as Tori eats another bread stick
"you've been here a lot, what do you suggest" says Tori
"the pasta is always good, the steak is pretty good, though my favourite was always their ice-cream, its made fresh daily" says Cat
"you and sugar, some things never change do they" chuckles Tori
"I have sugar issues, literally, it's hard to explain but basically my body processes sugar very easily, so much so that it's a cancer risk if I suddenly stop eating any sugar, I often go low, it's part of why I faint so easily" says Cat deciding to put the first course meal in on the tablet
"how long have you had feelings for me, be honest" asks Tori
"a long time, even before I knew your name, before Hollywood arts I used to go to the mall every day, usually because I'd spill fabric dye on my dress, shirt or skirt and need to replace it, anyway I was looking for a dress one day and I saw you and Trina trying stuff on, I couldn't help but stare at you, I ended up getting kicked out for staring at you, I started dreaming about you, it was impossible not to daydream" says Cat
"wait is that why you acted the way you did when you first met me at Hollywood arts on my first day" asks Tori
"it certainly didn't help that I hadn't taken my meds that morning, I had slept in and was running late, which is also why my hair looked out of control, I had been tossing and turning all night and my pillow was known to hold static electricity, it took most of my morning just getting it unknotted" says Cat
"Jade mentioned something about you calling dibs on me, what was that about, I'm curious" asks Tori
"I'm not talking about that, next question" says Cat
"I'm afraid not answering that question will only intensify my curiosity" says Tori
"Jade shouldn't have said anything to you now next question please" says Cat getting angry
"whoa babe calm down please, ok fine what moisturizer do you use" asks Tori
"ok enough questions or I walk, you yourself said no official dating until you're better, those questions are personal" says Cat really getting pissed off
"how is asking what moisturizer you use a personal question" asks Tori as Cat loses it and leaves
25 minutes later as the food arrives
"where'd Cat go" asks Valerie
"apparently I was asking personal questions, all I asked was why she called dibs on me and what moisturizer she uses, she got really angry then left" says Tori holding onto the steak knife tightly
"I'll pack this up then and call you a cab" says Valerie
"I can't afford to pay for this meal let alone a cab, she was supposed to take me to Victoria British Columbia to meet with a label, I assume that's all off the table now, I don't want a cab, I can walk back to Jade's" says Tori
"don't worry about the bill" says Valerie as Tori gets up and rips part of her dress
"this was probably my ONLY chance to go on a date with Cat, my life is over" says Tori as she leaves
