[MTFF] The Sound of Bells

[Just some lady]

...Ding...

The bells.

...Dong...

They seemed to ring through his veins.

...Ding...

To chime with each beat of his heart.

...Don--REEPBREEPBREEPBREEPBREEPBREEPBREEPBREEPBREEP--!

The man shook awake with a start, one ringing replaced by another. Somewhere in the back of his brain it felt like he'd been dreaming of something old...and important. Like most dreams however, the what or why of it was already lost to him as he instead exerted his energy to quiet his alarm, the sun glaring in harshly through the window of his second-story apartment.

There was more important business to take care of, regardless! Groaning, a checklist quickly formed, unbidden in his mind.

1) Get to the office within the hour. (Up-and-coming young businessman or not, he couldn't afford to be showing up late)
2) Get his little cousin Alice to school (He was already starting to regret having volunteered to take care of her for a few weeks while she was in town)
3) Wake up

Alice would get breakfast at school, he knew that...if only he could be so lucky. Come to think of it though, his older sister, Evelyn, had given him a new energy drink last time he saw her. That sounded like just the thing to get him going...

[Alexis]

((Who's is this anyway?)

[Just some lady]

(A much-delayed thing for Muffin.)

[muffinstud]

[GLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!]

Stewart lay in his bed, cursing the sun and its ability to turn a blissful night's sleep into a dreadfully cheery morning. He tossed the blankets aside and sat up. Then he spent a couple minutes just fighting conciousness and smacking his lips while he scratched himself. His list popped into his head anew and he regretfully stood up and walked out of his room only wearing a pair of basketball shorts.

"Alice! Time to get up! Wakey wakey!" He pounded on the door to the small room that used to be his study, but was really the only place his cousin could sleep besides the couch. Scratching himself again, he trudged to the kitchen and had himself a banana before popping open the energy drink. Not really one for that kind of thing, he gave it a tentative sip, pretty sure just a little bit would be enough to wake him up the rest of the way.

[Just some lady]

The drink has a taste best described as 'tangy', though the flavor itself he can't quite place. The bottle's no real help either--his sister had stored in a thermos for some reason, in fact. Maybe she'd bought a bottle four sizes too large.

Regardless though, it doesn't taste too bad, even if it is an energy drink. It's almost like a smoothie, in fact.

[Stray-chan]

Stewart didn't get a response from his niece when he pounded on the door. When he entered the kitchen, he discovered why: Alice was sitting at his kitchen table, demurely eating pancakes and a small bowl of fruit. She smiled brightly when he came in. "Morning uncle Stewart!" His state of undress made her giggle and, for his sake, she focused on her food.

She had very long black hair (still slightly damp from a shower), kept out of her face with a headband and was currently dressed in the uniform of the prestigious private school: dark blue pleated skirt, white blouse, blazer the same color as the skirt, and flat black shoes. She also wore white knee-high socks, a stud in each pierced ear and several bracelets on each wrist. Off to her side, on the table, was her school bag.

When he drink the energy drink, though, she seemed to notice something, and looked over at him. "Hey, uncle Stewart? What's that you're drinking there?"

[muffinstud]

"Hmm? Oh, this." He holds up the thermos containing the energy drink. "Evelyn gave it to me to try out. Gotta admit, it doesn't taste like other energy drinks." Stewart takes a longer draft and blinks at the girl. "And good morning, Alice. You don't want breakfast at school today?"

Stewart doesn't seem to notice or care about his state of undress near the girl. They are family after all, and he is still waking up. As it is, Stewart is fairly tall and has a wide physique that could hold a lot more muscle than it does. Even so, he still has a somewhat athletic build and a decent tan to complement his short strawberry blond hair.

[Just some lady]

The drink has a flavor almost like something he's tasted before, it feels like--something just on the tip of his tongue...but he can't quite place it.

He is starting to feel more awake though, a pleasant tingle twitching down his spine.

[muffinstud]

[Wait, so he's had tomapple before?]

More awake now, Stewart takes another quick but sizable chug before setting the thermos down with a smile. "I'll take you to school soon as I'm dressed, kay?" He leaves Alice in the kitchen and heads to the bathroom for a quick shower. Once done, he dresses in khaki slacks and a light blue shirt with a yellow tie. He checks the clock to make sure he still has time on his side before going back out to the kitchen.

[Just some lady]

(Clearly his older sister is actually Caprice!

Also, was waiting for Lost, but it may be that he was waiting on me, so lessee...)

Soon Stewart is dressed to kill! Or, rather, dressed to drive to work, but that's close enough in this case, traffic being what it is. Regardless, he emerges into the kitchen dressed and energized! He's feeling better then he has in some while, in fact. And by the looks of it...he even has time to spare.

[Stray-chan]

((Ack, sorry for being away!))

When her uncle chugged down the drink, Alice couldn't help by grimace, very slightly. "I see. Well, I hope you enjoy it. Um." She looked down at her food. "Well, the school breakfast is kind of big on meat, and I'm trying to cut back. I think that... there he goes." And Stewart was out and up to change. "So they went through with it..." She sighed to herself and shook her head as she finished her food.

When her uncle returned, Alice was just finishing up washing her dishes and putting them up to dry. She smiles, and picks up her book bag. "Wow, that was fast! I guess that energy drink is working as advertised."

[muffinstud]

[Seems like everyone's waiting for everyone...]

"Yeah, I feel really good. Better than I have in a while, in fact. I'd hate to see how wired the whole thing would make me though." Stewart helps the girl out with putting the dishes away. "So, we've got some time to spare. Wanna stop by any place before I drop you off?" With his extra time, he grabs a bagel and spreads some cream cheese on it. After all, a single banana does not a breakfast make.

[Stray-chan]

"Yeah... drinking the whole thing might be bad, so it's probably good you're not!" She grins, slightly awkwardly. "Um, maybe we could stop by a cafe? A chai latte sounds nice right now."

[muffinstud]

Stewart shrugs. "Sure. Just don't make a habit of it, too much coffee at your age might stunt your growth. I think." He frowns as he tries to remember where he heard that from as he finishes his bagel. "But good choice, you've at least got taste." He gives her a smile and heads out the door, grabbing the thermos of energy drink as he does. It tasted pretty good, and he might need the pick-me-up at work later.

[Just some lady]

(( Apologies! Summer classes have hit me harder then I thought, so I've been a bit busy myself. ^^;))

As Stewart heads out to his car, a faint ringing sound makes him pause, if only for a moment, the wind seeming to whirl around him...before quickly settling down as if nothing had happened at all...which was probably the case. Must just be his mind playing tricks on him.