2.4 Pizza for Breakfast

"Pizza for breakfast?" Gysael isn't sure what to think of her houseguest. She feels her nose crinkling up at the idea of all that grease and cheese first thing in the morning.

Venessa would rather order pizza than cook and end up with dishes to wash.

Venessa's one night with the Goldbeard family turns into several nights.

"I'm sorry, Dad, I didn't realize she would-"

"Shush shush," Reggie's father interrupts him. "I remember being young and in love! Your girlfriend can stay as long as you want."

Reggie opens his mouth to say Venessa is not his girlfriend, but Scarlett is already swanning out of the kitchen, hoping for grandchildren. He's been vastly disappointed by Petra and Chad's lack of reproducing.

"I think you should just lie, so Reggie stops worrying," Gysael suggests. "Tell him the meditation stopped your powers from activating by accident. Not like he can tell the difference. What if you can't fight fate?"

"I'm destined to become a criminal and die?"

"Maybe not the dying part. That was just a nightmare, we've all had those." Gysael has never been quite sure why Rohane put such stock in a dream he had exactly once. "But if you think about it, the way you can control that object teleportation now... you'd be the best thief ever."

"I can't tell if you're joking."

Gysael stands up, restless. "If public school has taught me anything, it's that some people in this town are awful. And I wouldn't mind inconveniencing them a little."

"We're smarter than them, more talented than them, and dare I say prettier than them, but they treat us like dirt." Gysael has not had an easy time with her schoolmates. "I'm not playing by their rules when I grow up."

Playin' fetch.

Reggie knows he shouldn't, but he does feel safer with Vox around.

It's cold. Rohane walks around outside to collect his thoughts.

It doesn't have to be cold.

The fire melts a little snow before it dies.

A new day.

"YOUR CLOTHES! FIX THEM!"

Venessa Giordano is riding high on life, having dropped her job in the music industry in favor of a position in the art appraisal career track.

Rohane ages up.

Like Petra, he has already made arrangements to move out of his parents' house.

"You're sure you'll be okay?" Reggie frets.

"I'm moving across town, not across the continent. Besides, I'm sure you'll like having the room to yourself?"

"I don't know. I've never had a room to myself."

"I meant-" Rohane shakes his head, and starts over. "Why do you keep ignoring the subtext with Venessa? You weren't this bashful as a teenager."

"I'm not ignoring it. I'm contemplating it. It only looks like I'm ignoring it." Reggie chews his spaghetti noodles quickly, nervously. "As for any teenage transgressions... teenagers are infamous for not thinking things through."

As a young teen, Reggie was interested in dating, but it was more of a childish emulation of what he thought growing up should be like than actual desire.

Rohane moves out, leaving junk under his bed and the demon girl on the wall.

The room is quiet and lonely.

Scarlett and Greta jump to make some changes to it, when Reggie steps out of the house for a while.

"We hope you like it!" Scarlett says, in firm belief that no grown man should sleep on a tiny loft bed anyway.

Reggie is not surprised when Venessa climbs in bed with him that night.

"You don't think it'd be fun to mess around?" she giggles.

"It hasn't even been one date," he points out.

"We can start dating tomorrow."

Reggie could tell her no, but he doesn't have much practice telling anyone no, so he just lets it happen. It's not like she's going to harm him.

The next day, they go on their first date.

In Monte Vista, horseshoes are considered very romantic.

Venessa appreciates Reggie's horseshoes prowess.

"It's misleading to have a picture of a pineapple on your booth if I cannot order pineapples," Reggie complains.

The young couple ends up eating a nutritious lunch of hot wings and marshmallow bunnies.

"Oh... hi, Dad."

"What?! NO, Dad!"

Scarlett told him it would only be polite and traditional to offer Venessa some flowers.

With practice, Reggie gets better at kissing, but isn't certain if he actually likes it.


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Etc.: And here we are again, spending half of an update on a festival lot I hate.

I really need to rip it out and replace it with one that looks nicer.