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He managed to keep a straight face right up until the bit about a bright aura and giving off good vibes. The moment that left Kate's lips Drew dissolved into laughter. What on earth did that mean anyway? Kate didn't have any clue either which only made him laugh more. When he finally got himself back under control he grinned at Kate.

"Rome huh? Kevin would kill to go to Rome." he smirked, "There's a reason my middle name is Julius. Kevin's obsessed with Rome."

Drew didn't even think twice about calling his father by his first name instead of dad or father. It didn't really occur to him that he might confuse Kate speaking like that.

"Anyway, sounds like you had fun in Rome."

Kate sipped her tea and listened to him talk. The silence fell in for a moment or two afterward as she seemed to consider his words and decide what to do about them. Drew couldn't bring himself to be nervous. No, he sat there and waited for her reaction fairly calmly. His attention snapped back to her from his musings when the tea cup hit the table. As her hand reached across the table in introduction he smiled. In fact he was just short of laughing but instead he'd suppressed it into a smile none the less. Drew took Kate's hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you Kate. I'm Andrew Julius Leroy. Most folks just call me Drew."

It was a good way to restart things. Hopefully this time would work out better than the last time they'd tried to be friends. Not that that had been bad. It just hadn't really gone anywhere a little while. There had been other people Kate had spent more time with and then she'd disappeared. Drew gave a mental shrug. It was the past.

Ok, now he was sure something fishy was up. The moment he tried to leave, even just to get cat food, the girl put a stop to it with a tin of food that she just seemed to have had but forgotten. If Drew had been doubting that things weren't as they seemed that would have made him suspicious. He took the can of cat food and walked over to his partner in heroics when he beckoned.

"So what've you got? I find it pretty darn convenient that she just so happened to have cat food that she remembered only when I was going to leave."

Drew shot a glance to the girl but brought his attention back to Masochist before she looked back at them. Even without super senses he could tell that something here wasn't right and it had to do with that girl and that cat.

"If it weren't for what might happen to some other poor schmuck if they got caught in this I'd be all for bailing."

As annoying as this was it was better that it happen to him than to someone else, someone perhaps not accustomed to having life throw curve balls at them. Lord knew that Drew was plenty used to getting a normal day turned upside down by now.

There was no alteration in his face when Martin appeared beside him. No outward show of emotion. He was becoming used to Martin's little stealth tricks. They didn't scare him anymore really. Well, maybe a bit but he was used to it so he didn't react. The voice and demeanor didn't seem as though they demanded his standing at attention in the manner that he was but having born witness to Martin's sudden mood swings if he did even one thing wrong Drew wasn't about to take the chance and relax. He remained straight as a rail as the question rang out.

"I would be eager to learn anything you see fit to teach."

Chances were that he wasn't being offered a choice in the matter anyway. He would learn or he would suffer. These were the simple facts of his existence as ruled by Martin. Whatever Martin intended to teach him would be learned in an effort to better serve the man. This would hopefully see to it that Drew suffered less often. That was the intention behind his acceptance anyway. That and blind loyalty. Drew supposed that he probably would throw himself off of a skyscraper of Martin's choosing if the man asked it of him.

"If I may be permitted to ask, what will you be teaching me?"

If it was something distasteful Drew would rather know ahead of time so that he could steel himself for it. There was very little he'd done for Martin during their association that he enjoyed for any reason beyond seeing to it that he did as Martin ordered. This time he was rather hoping it would be different.

Ouch, the c word. Cute would hard for any normal guy to hear but Drew wasn't exactly normal in most senses of the word. So as much as it hurt his manly pride, yeah even he snorted a little there, Drew took it with laughter. As much as he could laugh after that fight anyway.

"Yeah I guess it is."

Lydia apparently favored red velvet cake and for that Drew grinned. Red velvet was a recipe he was very familiar with. Granny Ila had taught him that one. So had mom too but he used Granny Ila's recipe for the most part. When she asked what his specialties were he grinned.

"Well I can do a little bit of anything. German Chocolate Cake, any number of cookies, and yes even a family recipe for red velvet."

Finally they came up on the street and the row of cars. Drew turned and within a few more steps they came to his car. The black car stood under a street lamp. Honestly he'd been very lucky to get this spot. Probably someone throwing him a bone in advance of the fight. He went over to the passenger side, unlocked the door, and held it open for Lydia.

"Your chariot m'lady."

Hey, he didn't have to be a total bust at charm all the time right?

Kate seemed so lost as she finished speaking. He hadn't bothered to interrupt her. There was no need to do so. She eventually stopped talking on her own for lack of ways to describe whatever her problem was.

"It's alright Kate. I probably over reacted anyway."

While he thought about what she said he gave a casual shrug. Truth told he was not ok with what she'd said at all but she seemed contrite enough that he was willing to let it slide. As he'd realized earlier, they just didn't seem to know each other at all.

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me or can't figure out how."

Now that they were actually talking Drew was finding that maybe he wasn't so keen on getting answers. Sure he wanted them but Drew knew he might not like them. So he was somewhat conflicted. They would have to come sometime if he ever wanted to be friends with Kate. Even if she said he was a friend Drew was beginning to feel like he'd never been her friend at all.

A group of men and women in long white robes walked slowly past a perfume store led by a man that by all appearances was an angel. His hair was a pale brown and from his back burst two impressive white wings. He led his group of followers with a sense of purpose about him. This man's name was Jack. Jack was a messenger from God. Placed on this earth to guide a new savior to their destiny and safeguard them from the minions of the Devil. He knew his mission was righteous and holy and that the holy child was near. Only three days ago he had been granted the clarity of mind by God to know where they would find the child and when. However they could not simply collect the child. No there was another matter to be attended to.

For the child dwelt amongst a group of orphans, poor things that had survived the Lord's calling of their parents. One of their number was the destined child. The Lord has seen fit not to reveal precisely which one. It was his wisdom, granted by God, that would make the child known. Yet also among this group of orphans, and the source of the difficulties, was another child. This child was not touched by God but by the Devil. A spawn of Satan himself sent to lead the blessed child astray. Jack and his followers could not let this happen. They would find the savior and kill the devil child. Just ahead was the group of children and their two female minders. Jack made note of a store nearby that would hopefully serve as a good place to hold the children until they had completed their tasks. With luck it's unholy decor would help bring forth the evil in the devil child. Jack signaled to his followers to make ready their weapons and led them toward the group.

Andrew was completely distracted while these things were happening. He was busy perusing a very strange little nick knack shop just across the way from the local goth emporium Cold Crypt or some other such grim name. It wasn't the type of place Drew made a point of visiting. In fact he wasn't entirely sure why he was in this shop to begin with. He'd been bored and had decided to take a walk. Somehow that walk had landed him in a mall. Whatever the reason he'd just about decided he'd had enough of dust catchers and had turned to exit the store when the sounds of chaos reached his ears. Gun shots and screaming. Drew didn't even miss a beat and shifted to a run to go survey the situation just in time to see a bunch of white robed people with guns and knifes threaten a group of children into darkened aisles of Cold Crypt. Totally unsurprised by this he began to edge across the space without drawing notice from the four robed sentinels that now blocked the store's entrance.