(PRIVATE) "You ever get the feeling..."

Chris, now having grown most of his hair back to the point where it covers a small area over one of his eyes, dines alone. Once he has received a complimentary glass of water, he glances over his menu to notice the familiar face of a lady killer he once knew. Almost as quickly as he his attention is focused on the tall man, he in turn notices the ever scruffy looking werewolf in hiding. Chris compulsively introduces himself first. "Hey, Hawke. Did you come for the girls?"

"Me? Do something for hot women? Never!" Hawke says, voice dripping with sarcasm as he slides into the chair opposite his old friend.

He looks... different. A little haggard.

"Where the hell have you been?" Hawke says, smile half cocked and a confused frown on his face.

"If you have the time to hear me out, then have a seat." Chris motions for Hawke to join him at his designated table.

Hawke leans back in the chair and strokes the slight beard on his chin. "Continue." He says flatly, studying Christopher's face with amused curiosity.

In his head, he begins forming a few theories.
1. Family trouble.
2. Legal trouble.
3. He and Sumiko had a bad breakup.
4. Medical trouble.

While he hadn't seen Sumiko in at least 4 months, Hawke immediately ruled that out. They were as strong as an oak, they wouldn't break up. The other theories, however... each were equally as likely. Hawke leaned towards the family issues, while he knew very little of the boy's parentage he did know that his father was less than savory. Nothing was known about the mother, Hawke had always assumed she was dead. Maybe she'd died since?

Chris stares at his complimentary glass of water before springing his next pensive question on Hawke. "When you reminiscence on all the shenanigans I've found myself in since you've known me, which one resonates best with you?"

"Well, our first meeting was pretty spectacular." Hawke says with a grin, remembering his first night at the school, getting blind-drunk with three strangers and a seemingly endless bottle of whisky.

Chris reestablishes his gaze with Hawke, and smiles in confirmation. "You have no idea how much of a relief is it to hear you say that. All that's left for me to do now is reunite with Sumiko..." Chris' voice becomes grimly serious in tone. "That will be easier said than done."

Hawke's grin quickly disappears and is replaced by a frown, "What happened to you, Chris? You just... disappeared." Hawke's gaze remains unrelenting in its study of Chris, and beneath the layer of intrigue lies a faint, smoldering annoyance. "We were worried about you."

Chris sighs nervously. "Haven't met many people I can trust with this sort of... revelation. Tell me, Hawke: did you grow hearing stories about the inexpiable phenomena that make children afraid to go out after dark?"

"You mean like vampires? Sure." Hawke replies in confusion. Surely the answer was obvious?

"Where are you going with this Chris? You get in a fight with Frankenstein's monster or something?" Hawke continues with a laugh.

In an act of demonstration, Chris coolly places his glass of water on the table in front of him, and causes his eyes to turn piercingly yellow. "Quite the party trick, isn't it?"