Vicente was learning new things about himself all the time. A couple weeks have passed since he first came to the mansion and things had been going fairly well! Though there have been no improvements in his memory, he at least was making a few friends and seemed to be acclimating to his new environment fairly easily. Plus, though his memory wasn’t coming back, he at least was relearning a few of his favorite things; heck, maybe even developing new ones.

Last week Vicente learned that he had an affinity for spicy foods, this past Monday he learned that he didn’t care for Anime (or whatever that is), he came to the decision today that he liked to work out. For a few days now, Vicente had been structuring working out into his days, and he found that he really did enjoy it. There was just something about pushing the body to the limit and sweating out all the bad vibes.

Considering his body type, 6’1 and muscular, well fit, he assumed that this was a norm for him even before he lost his memory. At least he hoped it was. It made him feel good to discovering something about himself that had to be connected with his past.

Having weight trained yesterday, today was the day for cardiovascular…jogging. This had to be, his what, tenth lap around the mansion ground? Body glistening with sweat from a good work out, Vicente didn’t pause once as he made his way, jogging and attempting to fire up some part of his memory. In the end he discovered nothing new about himself, but he certainly did enjoy the workout.

Breathing control, body loosened up, Vicente took a moment or two while running to gaze out across the campus. It really was very beautiful, and generous. Not only had the school allowed him to stay (with the stipulation that he attend a class or two) but they even helped him get some clothes from goodwill. It was difficult because of his size but they managed to find things that fit. For example, today he was running in crimson sweat pants that had a gold line down the sides, and his pink running shoes (he was offered a chance at a different pair, but he had grow accustomed to the odd colored sneakers. Though he did accept least one other pair that wasn’t pink, just in case).

Having discarded his crimson shirt a while ago, Vicente jogged bare chested, his shirt tucked into one of the pockets of his sweat. Half of it hung out and waved like a flag as he ran.

Starting another lap around the building, Vicente felt the oddest sensation of being watched. A glance to the high windows and he could have sworn a couple of times that he saw the faces of his fellow teenagers (mostly girls) pressed up against the glass and watching him from the safety inside. He couldn’t be sure but he thought he had heard a catcall at least once.

Then again maybe that was just his imagination.

He started lap eleven…

"Honestly... why would they have put him in the girls wing?"

It had been a few weeks since she'd seen the poor fellow who'd come to the mansion. Unfortunately, after getting Vicente to the Doctors office, Saph had wandered. He hadn't been too happy about what he saw, but she really didn't blame him for being upset. She'd been home later, was drenched in blood in some places, and had been stabbed. The wound had thankfully been taken care of, but she'd been carted off by her boyfriend before she could make sure Vicente was doing alright.

Today was one of the days she had free time to spare, and considering she'd been rather worried for her newest friend, she had determined that today would be the day she tracked him down again! Of course, just to spite her, luck had decided that he wasn't in his room when she'd come knocking. That left...well... all of the school to search.

Yay.

"I mean.. surely there was another place? There is even an extra bed in your room!" Huffing quietly to herself, she hurried down the hallway as fast as she could manage... without losing Saph, or tripping and spilling the contents of the basket she was carrying all over the floor.

A pair of giggling, blushing teens wandered past, gushing to themselves about the gorgeous boy currently running laps around the school. Arching a brow at the girls as they wandered past, Andrea paused by a window to peer out curiously. Lots of people exercised around the school regularly.. but it was pretty rare that she heard giggling about it from students. What she spotted below happened to be the very same boy she was searching for.

"Ah! There he is!" The Greek glanced to and fro, wondering how exactly she could get down there as fast as possible. It looked like he was gearing up for a run! Glancing down at the pile of fruit and sandwiches enclosed within her arms, she idly wondered if she could manage a full speed sprint from here to there without killing herself in the process.

"C'mon! We have to catch him!" She barely noticed that she'd used one of Saph's mannerisms, as she turned to hurry down the hallway.

Saphirus needed a drink. His head was pounding, and he felt a bit sick... That's right, he was suffering from the dreaded hangover. He had opted to avoid the hair of the dog today; Andy wanted to spend some time with him... Something about checking on the guy that got shot when she was FREAKING STABBED. He still couldn't get over it... The story was just unreal. It reminded him again that he really needed to be there for her; she had this strange penchant for finding trouble.

Also, for bringing home strays. Okay, that was a rude way to say it, headache. She was a kind soul, and anyone who needed help, she would help. That was one of the things he loved about her most, honestly. He rubbed his forehead for a second as she prepared to drag him to the next place, looking for this guy.

"I mean.. surely there was another place? There is even an extra bed in your room!" "Uh... well... I was kinda hoping you would move into that one... Like... permanently. Y'know, cause you're in my room so often anyway." She'd been having nightmares, and he really couldn't say he minded that when she did, she'd come right to him, and sleep in his bed. It was a little odd for her to do so without any kind of... more personal intent, but he honestly didn't mind... It was kinda nice. Plus, if she moved in, maybe they could work on furthering their relationship a little... Not that he wanted to pressure her, or anything. He was perfectly happy moving at a pace she was comfortable with.

Besides... Ever since... Well... Ever since that night, she'd been having nightmares more than ever. It seemed like she really didn't remember everything from the dream; she didn't remember what she'd become. It seemed almost unfair that she got to forget, but he had to remember killing her every time he saw her face. She looked back at him, and his heart skipped a beat. He did his best to smile... He had to ignore these feelings, and do the best he could to make sure none of it happened in the real world.

He was snapped out of those thoughts by some giggling teens, and Andy's spotting of the young man she'd been talking about. Apparently he was a shaken and shy, but polite amnesiac. Maybe even brave, but obviously not much of a fighter, if he couldn't fight a couple small time robbers off.

She seemed to want to get to him in a hurry, but he was downstairs, and out the window. A grin popped onto his face as he slid the window open, and held his hand out to Andy. "Shall we take a shortcut, m'lady?" A grin appeared on his face.

A moment later, after telling Andy to make sure the basket didn't spill, and the teens to close the window afterward, they were plummeting toward the ground; he made a nice, gently landing right in the path of the running amnesiac. A quick look up and down told him the guy wasn't what he'd expected... Jesus, he was built like... like... Vin Diesel! He was also wearing.... pink shoes.

Wait a minute... Pink shoes... Built like Vin... Living in the girl's dorm... Useless in a real fight... Oh... Well... Ahem. He wondered if Andy knew... Probably not. He would be sure not to bring it up, though... She did have a religious background, and he hadn't really asked how she felt about... well, people who made different choices when it came to who they wanted to love. He wouldn't ruin her notion of him before explaining that it really was normal, and nothing the book she read said would change that.

Wow... This was awkward.

Vicente was just getting started on the next lap of his jog. Loosened up after the ten laps he had already run, he was feeling rather loose and energetic. He was ready to really begin the work out now. Mind focused, eyes narrowed, Vicente jogged only a few steps and was ready to turn on the speed when a suddenly movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. The young man skidded to a halt because he was sure he saw something falling and, judging by the size, he feared it was something that could harm him.

But, kicking up a cloud of dirt due to his skid, Vicente coughed and waited for it to clear to find…two people standing there. Did they really just fall out from the side of the building? And so high up too! Yet they acted as if it was nothing at all! Vicente marveled for a second at the two shorter people. He began to advance to make sure that they were okay.

The man was of average high, fit building but not too muscular. He was older two, probably late twenties or something like that. Vicente noticed the man looking just a tad awkward, as if he didn’t know how to react to a situation. The amnesiac could only assume whatever was going through his head.

Despite their appearance, he had to ask…

“Uh, hi. Are you two alri—“ he paused.

Glancing to the second person, his breath caught. Timid and a little shaky, was the familiar green skin and writhing snake hair of young woman that he knew far too well. She was the only one who helped him after he had been found, half-beaten in an alley and confused beyond all belief. She even took it upon herself to take him here, to the mansion, the one place she felt would be of most help. Vicente could never thank Andrea enough for all her kindnesses.

…

Wow, that was a big basket she was carrying.

“ANDREA!!!” he beamed happily, his face lighting up with the look of happiness and recognition. “How’re you? You alright? You need help with that basket?”

How rude of that man to let someone as small as Andrea carry such a big basket by herself…

Saph stopped her before she got too far. "Shall we take a shortcut, m'lady?"

"M'lady..? haha!" Giggling, while reaching out to take the offered hand, she giggled at him. He was so silly, sometimes! After he had her carefully cradled in his arms, and the window had been opened, she squeezed her eyes shut and clung to him (and the basket) for dear life. She hated heights! She hated falling just about as much!

Thankfully, it was a short drop, and she at least felt safe in Saph'a arms. It didn't diminish the joy of having her feet back on the ground, mind you, but it helped.

“ANDREA!!! How’re you? You alright? You need help with that basket?”

"Vicente!" She giggled at the energetic greeting, "I am just fine, actually... I looked for you all over!" Her bottom lip protruded momentarily, as she fished around in the basket, before holding it out to him... until a grin worked it's way back onto her lips. "I wanted to see how you were doing, and figured the perfect way to catch up would be to sit down and have a nice lunch together!"

She waved the little blanket in her hands around, before stepping forward to give her friend a hug, and a friendly peck on both cheeks.

He smiled fondly as she spoke to the man... She was so thoughtful, it was scary. A giggling from up and off to the side prompted him to wave the girls upstairs away... Poor girls didn't even know they were barking up the wrong tree. They actually paid attention this time and closed the window as well. As he turned back, Andrea was giving her the apparently customary Greek greeting... It had really confused him back in the day, but Google worked wonders when it came to that stuff.

After a moment, though... his eyes wandered down to the basket... A picnic basket... And then up to the greeting... Cheek kissing. Huh... Why did it feel like he should be remembering something right about now? The vigilante looked up in thought for a moment, but really couldn't think of anything... It was right at the tip of his brain; he hated when that kinda stuff happened.

"It's prolly best we find a place to sit... Uhm... You need a shirt? It's a little chilly out." Indeed, it was starting to get close to winter, and while it was an unseasonably warm day, that still meant fairly chilly for someone who wasn't getting heated up by physical activity. He looked up to the window, and wouldn't you know it, there the teen aged girls were. He waved at them, and the window was slowly opened again. "Hey! You think you could find my friend a shirt?" The giggled and laughed, and then disappeared. He tilted his head a little bit... That wasn't exactly an answer. . .

"Oh, eh, my bad... I'm Saphirus, by the way. You can call me Saph." He turned to hold his hand out to the man, smiling in a friendly manner.

He maintained the smile even as a shirt flew out of the window, and landed on his head. "Gah!" It slid down to the floor, and showed itself off to be a low cut pink V neck. Ahem... Well... He guessed it was better than nothing... And it seemed... well, you know... oddly appropriate. A glance up to the window showed it to be empty. No second requests, then?

Evidently, he missed the shirt stuffed in the man's pocket. Or... had it fallen out on the path a while back? A sweat pocket wasn't a very secure place for such a big item~ Either way, there was a pink shirt on the ground.

>> "Vicente! I am just fine, actually... I looked for you all over! I wanted to see how you were doing, and figured the perfect way to catch up would be to sit down and have a nice lunch together!"

Vicente really was smiling brightly at seeing Andrea again. She technically was his first friend in the entire world and his best. Though they had only known each other briefly, that time together was still very important to him. Andrea showed him that the world was not entirely cruel and that it didn’t have to be full of such suffering. There were good people out there, people that wanted to help no matter the cost.

Even now she went out of her way to find him and try to tempt with a rather delicious looking basket full of food and good time amongst friendly faces. The amnesiac could only grin as he nodded in agreement.

Andrea was a perfect example of one of these people who made the world a better place, and he could only marvel that he was friends with her.

“That sounds fantastic,” he beamed. “I haven’t seen you for a couple weeks. We can catch up!”

>> "It's prolly best we find a place to sit... Uhm... You need a shirt? It's a little chilly out."

He glanced back to the second person. He had almost forgotten that the man was there. Vicente was just far too excited to see Andrea again after all this time had passed.

“Actu—“ Vicente was cut off before he could explain that he did have a shirt.

>> "Hey! You think you could find my friend a shirt?"

At this, Vicente turned and tilted his head to the second person that was present. The shorter man was eyeing Vicente but not in a glaring or villainous way. In fact there was friendliness in the man’s eyes, but it was tinged with a suspicion of sorts. The amnesiac honestly had no idea why the man could be suspicious of so he simply let the matter pass.

>> "Oh, eh, my bad... I'm Saphirus, by the way. You can call me Saph."

Vicente nodded as he reached out and shook the man’s offered hand. “Vicente, it’s nice to meet you,” he smiled in a friendly enough manner.

Saphirus, that was really not a name he heard before. Well, at least that he could remember. Who knows, maybe he ran into a bunch of Saphriuses (Saphirisi? Saphri? Saphriuss?) in his past life. Whatever the case, the man seemed kind enough. Though…he did throw both himself and Andrea out a window and startled her. He began to wonder…

>> "Gah!"

Shaken from his thoughts, Vicente watched the pink shirt flutter down and land upon the man’s head. Girls above giggled and Saph quickly removed the shirt and handed it over. Vicente shrugged and took it. After all, he didn’t want to hurt the nice gesture. But, really, it had to be pink again? Quietly he slipped on the pink shirt and found that it fit pretty snugging, molding to the curves of his muscles so it looked more like a muscle-shirt now than anything.

“Oh my gawd he’s TOTALLY wearing my nightshirt!”

“No it’s mine!”

“Mine!”

Vicente didn’t bother to look up, merely thinking that it was simply the wind whistling in some odd way that he could barely understand. Once he made sure the shirt was fully on, he turned his attention back to Andrea. Quickly he stepped up and wrapped his fingers around the hand of the cumbersome looking item.

“Oh, here, let me carry that,” he beamed to Andrea. “I’d hate for you have to carry that any farther.” Hand on the basket, he smirked when he caught the sight of movement and noticed the largest of Andrea’s snakes crawling towards him. It was funny considering how the snake reacted to his tentacle arm. He figured that maybe the creature was only nice to him because he was waiting for its reappearance. Either way, he didn’t mind the snake at all. “Hiya Sloth,” he said as he scratched under the snake’s chin.

…

Do snake’s purr?

Her smile faded slightly when Saphirus spoke up, as her attention was suddenly drawn to Vicentes current lack of a shirt. The Greek forze like a deer in headlights, her face instantly darkening a few deep shades of brown. Thankfully, she didn't pass out... yet. Instead, she turned her attention fully on Saph, who was busy trying find something to clothe the shirtless one in, and from the same teens as before, no less.

What ended up fluttering out of the window they'd jumped from was pink, and in no way meant for a man to wear. Well, most men anyway. She knew a few who didn't mind at all. Vicente hadn't struck her as the type, though. "Um.. I.. uh.." She was sure there were other shirts better suited for-- oh, well... it was on now. No use arguing!

She turned her attention back to her new friend, and found that the girls shirt only made things worse in regard to covering him. It might as well have been made out of latex, seeing as she could still make out the vast majority of his frame through it. Her embarrassed blush refused to fade, even when he offered to take the basket from her. "T-thankyou."

Sloth reacted to the scratching by curling around the man's arm tightly, which dragged Andrea a little too close for comfort. The large snake liked the man with the wiggly arm that appeared at random. He liked how he smelled, and the fact that he'd frightened away the pink humans who smelled like sweat and fear. He also like scratches, seeing as his scars itched sometimes.

"Ah!.. Crap.. um, Sloth?... let go.."

He also didn't like the other man with his mother. The one who'd given him the scars in the first place. It was one of his oldest memories, and every time the man was around, the great serpent was on edge. Or asleep. He slept a lot, too. "Sloth!" The snake ignored his mothers orders, content with keeping himself wrapped around a warm arm. He angled beady orange eyes back at the other, the one who hurt him, and flicked a pink tongue out in his direction mockingly.

"..Sorry, Vicente.. I do not know what has gotten into him." Andrea muttered a few choice words under her breath at the snake, giving up on tugging at him, while Lust wiggling himself over to Vicente and flopped on the man's shoulder. With a sigh, she set about unfolding the blanket in her hands, and glanced around for a spot to place it. There was a good flat expanse of lawn not far from them, and with a little awkward walking she attempted to make her way over to it.

As she was laying the blanket out, which was hard while attached via the neck to someone's arm, she recalled the last time she'd had lunch like this. A picnic. With Saph. Hadn't he said something about picnics...?

....

'ohdearlordwhathaveidone?!' Impossibly, she darkened another shade, and once again tugged at Sloth. How was she supposed to deal with this?... With Saph it had been... well, he was her boyfriend after all. With Vicente, who she'd only just met a few weeks ago, she couldn't even fathom any type of kissing! Maybe she could get away with a shameful peck on the cheek?... no, wait, she'd already done that while greeting him... Dear lord! What was she supposed to do!?

Inwardly, the Greek struggled with the decision to kiss, or not to kiss, and whether or not it would come off as some type of insult if she went with the latter.

He had to say...things were going pretty well. The man the shirted, insisted on carrying the basket Andrea had made for him, which was appropriate, because she'd refused for it to touch anyone's hands but his. Saph was apparently too clumsy. He didn't know what she meant by that... Not at all. I mean, he tended to be a little accident prone around her, but it mainly ended in making a mess of no one but himself. He really couldn't help that he felt a little goofy when she was around; that was nature telling him to look like an arse in front of the person who made you feel butterflies... Perfectly normal.

It just so happened that she tended to appreciate his goofiness around her; part of the many things he loved about her. He sighed as Sloth started acting up, wrapping himself around the young man's rather thick arm, and looking at him with... could snakes be smug? "Sloth... Dangit... C'mon, let the poor boy go... Take a nap or something." He slowly reached for the snake, who tightened his grip for a second, causing his hand to retreat again... He recalled when he'd first met the snake... The thing had lashed out at him, and he'd knocked it more through instinct than anything else, which left it with a permanent scar. It had never trusted him fully after that... Lust turned and investigated the rough hand, buzzing it with his tongue a little. He shook his head... Sloth would probably let go in a second; He was too lazy to put a whole lot of effort into... well, anything really.

He instead got to looking for a good place for them to set up, blinking and tilting his head when he noticed Andrea panicking about something. He walked on up to her, a worried look on his face. "Babe, is something wrong?" He palaced a hand on her shoulder, and looked her up and down... Was Sloth clinging too hard? He knew that if the snake moved too fast or anything like that, it could hurt her neck sometimes. "You alright?"

He looked to Vic for a second, and then to Sloth... It must have been embarrassing for the young man, to be tied her her in such a way. "Er... Hey, I'm sorry about Sloth... He gets a little clingy sometimes."