The Finer Things in Life *open*

[Claudio]

Claudio did appreciate being a "commonor" occasionally and over his 100 near-enough life span there was one thing he had come to love in this the 21st Century. Milkshakes. There were so many flavours! His had to be Jellybean for some strange reason. He had a very sweet tooth for a swan and there was nothing better than ice-cream and jelly beans now was there?

However there was a slight downside to ordering a large jelly bean milkshake... the sugar rush often made him hyper and in this his most desperate last two years to breka his spell hyperactivity was bad. Hyperactivity led to premiscusousness and ultimately one night stands...

[Anastas]

Anastas practically floated he was so happy. It was easy enough to see from the grin he didn't seem to be able to wipe off his face. It was his first day in god knows how long without Landon! ... And as much as Anastas loved the little kid, he still felt too young and irresponsible to have to be watching out for a three year old. Claire had taken to using him as a free personal baby-sitter recently, but Anastas felt he could hardly complain. Afterall, everyday he spent with him, Landon got more attatched, and as the days went past it became more and more painfully obvious who Landon's daddy was...
It was the big brown eyes, and the fact that his hair, though proper buttery blond like his mums, was almost like a miniature version of the junkies before he found himself a hairbrush in the morning. Still, Claire had the day off or something, and was (for once) looking after her son herself!

And what more did a young free junkie with no responsibilty want?.. A sugar rush, of course! Apparently it was too early to drink (*sad sigh*) but a sugar rush was much cheaper, and just as effective. "Can I haaave... a jaffa cake milkshake please?" he asked, fishing a handful of change out of his pocket and dropping it on the counter with a flourish and clatter as he accidentally deposited a set of keys complete with collection of keyrings and a few loose tic tacs. o.O

[Claudio]

Claudio watched Anastas with a lycanthrope's curiosity. His senses were buzzing as it drew closer and closer to full moon. Being a swanmane wasn't exactly impressive or useful but the eyesight, hearing and sesitivity near the full moon was almost worth the curse. But not quite. He smiled watching the young boy bounce around obviously happy to have the day to his own devices. Maybe it was freedom from work?

Claudio shifted his position is a sly way in a hope to make his table look open to company... he was just sad enough to do those kinds of things. Maybe it was a psychological thing but Claudio swore he could feel the sugar saturating his bloodstream and was loving every second of it.. shame it wore off quicker for him.

[Anastas]

With a bright laugh and a small blush, Anastas swept his assorted junk off the counter and into his hand, stuffing it into his back pocket carelessly. "Thank you" he grinned at the counterperson, who was watching Anastas with the kind of look that said she clearly thought he was on drugs.
Nope, just those weirdo kiddy cereals, the ones that came in pink marshmallow flavour, and were shaped like teddy bears. They were greeeat, better than caffeine.

Milkshake in hand, he turned round. Hmm, it was pretty damn empty... Plenty of room for him to go sit by himself. Unfortunately, having spent 10 years in a children's home, Anastas's concept of 'personal space' was almost non-existent. From 9, he'd been constantly surrounded by social workers and other kids. He'd gone from being an only child with plently of freedom to one of about thirty kids in the home, where you had to share rooms, and bathrooms, and possessions. Eventually, he'd gotton used to the closeness, and was now one of those people who would strike up conversations with strangers for the flimsiest of reasons.
Deciding on the person who looked least outrightly hostile, he quite happily crossed from the counter and dropped into a seat at Claudio's table, flashing him a bright smile. "Not saving this seat for anyone, are you?.." he asked, a little late.

[Claudio]

"Not at all," said Claudio leaning in on his elbow with a boyish smile, "you can have it allll..." he took a sip of his milkshake eyes never leaving Anastas for a second and then jumped. His cell phone was vibrating in his jeans pocket, "damn..." he muttered standing to attempt to slip his hand into the slim lin pocket, "s'cuse me..." He finally produced a mobile phone about three millimeters thick and so finely made the buttons were touch type. Nifty - obviously expensive. He pressed the recieve call button and placed the phone to his ear.

The loss of colour in the boy's face was similar to those cheesy kids cartoons, he literally went from pink and peachy to pale tinged green in a matter of seconds like someone was sucking at his facial colour with a straw.

"Happy Birthday Claudio de Valentine... Time is running out" The voice was tinny and loud over the phone. The voice was female. Old. Very, very old. "God Bless my mamma's curse eh boy?" In a flash Claudio ended the call and turned his phone off slamming it on the table like a hot potato. "Fcuk..."

[Anastas]

"Thanks. I'm Anast-" he began to introduce himself, but the ringing phone and the fact that the person he was trying to talk to was practically leaping out of his seat sort of sidetracked him. Trying not to look too stare (bad baaad habit that got him in trouble a little too often) he suddenly developed an intense interest in his milkshake, sitting and mixing it with his straw like it was going out of style. Must-not-eavvesdrop-on-strangers-phonecalls-Must-NOT-...
And then Claudio was slamming his phone down on the table like it was evil. Pulling his eyes away from his oh-so-fascinating milkshake, Anastas looked up at the sickly pale Claudio with one eyebrow raised, glancing down at the abandoned phone and back at his face. "... Judging by the look on your face, that was either the ex-from-hell, your mother, orrr an angry social worker.." he guessed. Anastas's sense of when to open his gob was about as good as his concept of personal space...

[Claudio]

Claudio smiled despite himself sitting back down and rested his hand in his chin. He was quickly regaining his colour and looked better for it, "Ex from Hell..." he murmered, "but not so much the ex but her mother. Lucky she's dead though..." he shrugged lightly in the conceited manner of a man who was not about to apologise for saying something so harsh. "If you believe in magic spells and curses made by evil witches in their tall, dark towers you can begin to imagine what that b*tch has been up too..." he rolled his eyes and poked at his milkshake with his straw in a pathetic manner. He always got everyone on his side. It wasn't his fault he was a swan, it was the woman who cast the spell's, and it wasn't his fault he was so irresistably sexable... people should learn some selfcontrol and get some contraception. Granted it didn't exist back then...