It's Been a While (Rackie & Lani; Invite)

Jasmine's hand fell to the booth, reaching over and squeezing at Nunally's knee: I know. The gesture said, gently assuring her that everything would be perfectly alright. Directing any attention away from Nana and her thoughts, Jasmine spoke again, "So, how long do you think it will be before the new apartment is baby proof?"

Lily's eyes seemed to almost bug out, a wide smile crossing her face; yesterday, she had a brother in a whole different continent, and today she would be living with her brother, she had a sister, a niece, and a meister?! She was excited but fought back her overreactions in favor of asking the baby's name.

"Lucia," Joseph piped up, having been analyzing the artwork on the walls. He seemed unphased by the woman, though he'd put on enough charm with that cocky smile he was so well known for back home. Still, if Nana had seen, the expression had never quite hit his eyes, and it faded the second the waitress' back had turned.

Nunally sighed, calming down a bit. She left her computer in an idle state, knowing it would be more healthy for her batteries than constantly turning it off and on. The meister looked around once more, this time curious about the clothes that the restaurant's guests were wearing, her curiosity was also directed towards other women- their behavior, clothing, makeup, hairstyles. The girl wanted to know what is considered attractive and what was not. "Hmpf! Probably anything would be better than a waitress who's trying to flirt with a customer! I bet she does that all the time. With every handsome looking customer! BRAIN! I SAID STOP! BAD BRAIN! BAD!" She thought, returning her attention back to her friends.

"Has Nunally met her?" Lilian asked, seeming almost to be trying to drag the girl into the conversation.

Jasmine shook her head, "Joseph has, of course; he almost doesn't want to leave, some days. Nana's been... hard to keep track of, though." She said the words almost like a tease, but enough of her tone said not to ask questions that Lilian obeyed.

Nunally looked at Jasmine, crossing her arms on her chest and pouting. "Not my fault...The A.I is too stupid... I bet it would scare her." Murmured the hybrid quietly and then looked at Joseph then at Lilian. "But hey, I'm now thinking on my own. Cold computer calculations don't have effects on my actions anymore. Which makes me very happy. I... feel free. I can enjoy spending time with my friends. Good feeling, mhm. Which also means that I can meet little Lucia without worrying about scaring her off"

Jasmine chuckled at that, amused by the statement and chain of events, "You could, just lemme know." She said, thankful that Lilian wasn't currently questioning her about the little one.

"I can set about making the apartment safe." She said, clearly trying to be helpful as she thought to herself what she would need to do.

"Anytime." Nana told Jasmine with a nod. The meister then started wondering about the apartment. She was really curious about the final effect of their little shopping trip.

ooc: I really need to design that.

Uh... but how do we want to do, here? .-.

ic:

Before long, the waitress was back, refilling drinks while another server brought out their appetizer. Lily seemed surprised at the amount of grease to the food, but she ate away at it happily, nonetheless. That both did and didn't come as a surprise to Joe; she wasn't really one to complain.

OOC: Nah, let's just wait for them to finally see the effect themselves

IC:
Nana smiled once again, looking at her partners and at their little sister. I might not a real family, but Jasmine, Joseph and little Lilian make me so happy. The meister thought, closing her eyes for a second. Once again thinking about a way to disable her "brother's" control unit. She really wanted to have a normal family. It was her dream.

THe waitress lingered longer than she rightfully should have, making sure that everyone's drinks were to their liking, that the appetizer was right; and do you need anything else? You sure? What about you, hun? Jasmine was beginning to get annoyed, even, her eyes locking onto the woman and giving her a stare worse than death. She ignored it.

Soon, Nana joined Jasmine in an annoyed stare. "This cheeky bi-... Oh, wait... Where am I getting these insults from?" -She thought, feeling that her own wavelength was becoming rather active. The girl closed her eyes for a second. "I want to tell her to get out of my sight. She's getting on my nerves." In the end Nunally looked at the waitress once again and cleared her throat rather loudly and with an audible annoyance. She wanted to remain polite.

Jasmine seemed stunned when Nana expressed her annoyance. Lilian all but froze in place, blushing lightly when she realized that the waitress was still present. Joseph had been alternating between flirting politely and wholly ignoring her; he was good at playing a game of "hot and cold." Seeing the tension she was causing by not backing off when he'd finally ignored her completely. Pushing his hair from his eyes, he directed his gaze at her, glaring, "We're fine, thanks. Will you leave us in peace?"

Nunally finally relaxed a bit, slightly amused by Jasmine's reaction. "Excuse me, my throat has gotten dry" Told them Nunally, trying to put a slight sign on sarcasm in her voice. Then she picked her glass up and took a sip from it, before placing back on the table. The girl smiled innocently and tilted her head to her side. Theehee! -She thought

The waitress's mood visibly soured as she walked away, though she kept her voice pleasant enough as she excused herself from them. Jasmine was snickering into the table by this point, increasingly amused by the developments of the day. Lily had returned to snacking on the appetizer, pushing herself wholly out of the conversation. Joe, meanwhile, was looking across the table with amusement, unsure of what to say to either girl.

Nunally finally started giggling quietly, very amused by the situation. She felt a pure satisfaction from what she had done. "Did you enjoy the show?" The girl asked Joseph with a wink and with a smirk.

"Show?" He inquired, suddenly mocking obliviousness as he shrugged. He had seen nothing, he would claim.

Jasmine's eyes rolled; he could be an absolute child, at times. "So, tech," she said, changing the topic before Joe could ruin more of the girl's fun. "Computer, televisions, whatcha want?"

Nunally shrugged, she had her fun- Nothing had been destroyed. "Knowing what Joseph already has might help a lot. I mean... When it comes to tech the first thing that comes to mind is a good TV with a set of speakers. I guess that Lilian could use a computer... It might help her with her hobby... Which is obviously music." Said the meister, trying to analyze the topic rather seriously.

"Piano, specifically." Lilian chimed in, pleasant as always. "Joey plays violin, though it was never a particular favorite of his."

"Cello's sturdier," he said defensively, nearly in a grunt, "Besides, the point was more that I could play more but I was forced to play that one."

"You liked it well enough."

"Yes, but the joy of things gets taken away when they become forced on you."

Jasmine's eyes rolled; ever the drama king, her brother. "Just on with the answers, Joe, this doesn't need to be a soap opera."

He sighed, brushing back his unruly hair again, "I have most of what I'd need for myself. I suppose a tele set-up in the living room couldn't hurt. Lily certainly doesn't need one for her own room." His expression turned hard for a second when she moved to object, and she receeded her unspoken statement almost instantly. "I think computers in each of the bedrooms would be a wise choice, though, rather than having some communal one."

Nunally nodded, noting everything they mentioned in a notepad application she had installed on her computer. "Understood. I can help you a little bit better with the tech. It's... kinda my thing..." Told them the meister, nodding again, preparing a few options for Lilian's computer in the meantime. A sudden thought came into her head- "Hmm... Yeah... Tech really is my thing. After all, I basically can convert thoughts into code..."

"It's a useful enough skill," Jazz said, fiddling with her straw in her drink. "I could only imagine the sort of spy work someone could do with that..."

Joseph's eyes rolled; what she talked about was exactly what Rogue did with his assignments, when he did have to communicate about them, which was rare. "We could probably hook up a nice sound system to one of the rooms, for music..."

"Yeah... Spying 'n' stuff... I prefer being a meister... Wait a moment... Shibusen is more than just a school right? Hm... I wonder if they have their own special forces or an intelligence agency." Nana said, expanding the topic started by Jasmine.

Nunally nodded, agreeing with Joseph's idea. "Yes, I think it might be a good idea. "

"You'd have to ask Rogue," she said, shrugging; she neither knew though cared. While combatant, her primary focus was her family, itself. She didn't have time to worry about spies and the like. The world was too chaotic for that.

"Which one?" He asked, seeming to be thinking aloud as he tapped at the table, n much the same way that he usually treated his phone. "I'm thinking either the third bedroom or the main room..."

Nunally shrugged, taking a note to ask Rogue in the future about the agencies working under the DWMA.

Code:

r< remindme "Ask Rogue about the DWMA spies" Date: Tomorrow

"The main room." Replied the meister, taking her drink and finishing it in a few sips. The more time they waited for the food, the more she was curious about what Joseph ordered for her.

"If you're sure," He said, shrugging, though he already planned on disagreeing with her in the final plan, putting the sound system in the third bedroom.

Jasmine made like she agreed with them, though her attention was to a passing server, carrying a tray of food for the next table over. Her stomach growled, silently, enough for her to notice but not enough for anyone else to notice it.

"Why did you have to get steak?" Lily asked, noticing the same things the other two girls had.

Nana crossed her arms on her chest, having a strange feeling that Joseph had a different idea. What was the point of asking for opinions then?-She thought, narrowing her eyes in a stare. Then she looked at the plates, carefully analyzing what was on them. So many calories! I don't know how to deal with it!- Thought the hybrid, with a slightly shocked expression on her face

Shortly thereafter, the waitress returned with another, carrying their trays of food. It seemed as though she was trying to peeve Nunally, giving her food out last, but that seemed to work out just fine for Joseph's amusement. When the plate --- plates --- were put in front of her, it seemed more like Joe had ordered a feast, rather than a single meal. Her main plate held an 8oz steak, a lobster tail, a skewer of shrimp, and a side of crab legs. The secondary plate held a small selection of vegetables as well as a scampi of various oysters and scallops. He seemed proud of himself, though the waitress had been more than annoyed --- she'd initially thought the food for him, but when he'd corrected her and directed the food to the only woman at the table that he didn't look to be related to, she seemed to have gotten the hint that he was trying to project.