Gabrielle had called one of the waitresses over. She waited for a while, hoping that somebody saw her, before putting her arm down, not wanting to look like an idiot by waving her arm an obnoxiously long time. It was very busy tonight, as more people seemed to arrive, and it looked like it was all hands on deck. There was a lot of energy here, especially after the young man made a joke that seemed to resonate with the crowd very, very well. But she didn’t have to wait long, and it was a surprise how quickly she got service.<br/><br/>“Just a glass of water, and your special appetizer of the evening,” she told the woman, glancing at Jake, who shook his head. She wasn’t really hungry either… she just needed to take her mind off of… something. That feeling. It was there yet again.<br/><br/>“I don’t know how long it will be before the appetizer arrives,” the waitress informed.<br/><br/>“That’s alright.”<br/><br/>The waitress smiled and then vanished into the crowd. Gabrielle watched her go, mostly out of curiosity, mostly due to the fact that someone who knew Jake came up and began speaking with him. A lot of people were standing now, some clapping as a way to dismiss the young man and welcome the next act, some just standing around socializing. Many of them, as expected, were a little intoxicated; one man had two empty beer pitchers near him, and proceeded to knock over a glass that was half-full. The rowdiness only seemed to draw the attention of a few other people, and a poor waitress who had to clean the mess up.<br/><br/>Jake was still speaking with his friend so Gabrielle looked some more. Almost as if she was drawn, she glanced at the man sitting alone again, out of the corner of her eye as to not reveal that she was staring. He was already staring at her. It made her feel very uncomfortable. How strange. It was natural for a man to look at a woman, or a woman to look at a man, who might have attracted them for some reason. Some good, some bad. But usually it was the good kind of attraction, one that admired natural beauty.<br/><br/>Did he want something? Was he actually attracted to her, and afraid to say something.<br/><br/>Suddenly, she froze. It was for a brief moment, but someone who was sensitive to such things would have noticed. He seemed to be projecting his energy toward her… Yes. She closed her eyes for a moment and just focused. This was definitely the same presence she had felt earlier in the day. This man… she was not sure how or why, but she was sure that he was following her. She was also sure that whatever he wanted with her could not be anything good.<br/><br/>But… but there was something else… He…<br/><br/>Gabrielle stood from her seat, “Jake, I need to step outside for a moment. It’s stuffy in here.”<br/><br/>Jake turned away from his friend, placing his attention on her, and nodded, “Alright, Princess. Just be back in time to eat your appetizer. If I get hungry, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself.”<br/><br/>Gabrielle smiled, and then she, too, disappeared into the crowd, and slipped outside. She had to deal with her little stalker. If that… if that was what she thought it was, perhaps that man would follow. Maybe she was just getting worked up, and he was just someone who found her attractive; he didn’t appear to have a drink on him, so she doubted he was even the least bit intoxicated. If he was then he would not have been able to reach out so easily.<br/><br/>Even then, not just anyone could capture a dragon’s attention so easily.