"It was raining on that day," Monroe said to Alex.

"Rain? Where?" she asked, looking at him excitedly.

"It was raining where I left on the day I returned here. I know it doesn't rain in Rubato. Hasn't for over a hundred years, I've heard. If it were so in my power, I'd bring rain... but I can't. This world's logic is different than my world's. In my world, their aren't pesky gods ruling over things like rain."

Alex quirked her eyebrow and looked at him. "But, I don't think the spirits are bad. One helped me once," she told him.

Monroe simply nodded. "I never said they were bad, I just said that they conflict with logic. After all, technology can't exceed the limitless powers of magic. I've accepted that after all this time," he told Alex, smiling at her. "After all, your magic nearly killed me multiple times."

Alex blew a raspberry at that thought. "You were fine," she said with a smile as she looked at him. "So, how's dinner coming?" she asked.

Monroe carried multiple plates onto the dinning room table and smiled at her. "All done."

"Why so much?" Alex asked, looking at the vast amounts of food.

"Well, for one, you're a growing girl. Two, Tracey hasn't eaten in like two days. Three, it gives me a chance to slow Tracey down from running away from the table." Alex simply laughed as the dark clad man moved towards the stairs. "Tracey, time for dinner," he yelled up.

o=)--------- ----------(=o

The sand beneath his feet seemed less moving than normal. He hadn't really noticed how far he had gone since he had walked off. His cave was halfway between where he worked and Blancwood. He never told Omar about his living conditions because he knew one truth about Omar: Omar lived a less desirable fashion than Zach did, the ice innate told himself. After all, Omar barely had food and water in his forge most of the time. Still, it was hard to find good food anywhere, even in a port town.

The city limits of Blancwood weren't too far off. With each step, it drew closer, it seemed. Within mere moments that past like seconds, the ice mage entered into the town and slowly walked towards the restaurant he had reserved a place for. Now that Zachary had a bit of money, he could afford to do nice things for the people he cared about. He had sworn he wouldn't become like Zorlo: a person that spent more time away from home than with the people that cared about him. Even if that person seemed limited to one or two now.

As the city lights moved past the red haired youth, he looked at the entrance to the restaurant. He had ambitions of waiting here for Arietta. When she arrived, then he would enter. For now, he kept his present hidden. He wanted to really surprise her. That was his only goal. That, and to make her happy.