"Variety is the spice of life, wouldn't you say, Jayjay?"  Eddie turned to the smaller boy at his side and grinned manically.  Coming from him, it was especially terrifying.  Dee Fedrego was about as eccentric as they came, even by artist standards.  The colors he wore seemed specifically chosen so as to mimic the wild and toxic pigments of sea slugs or dart frogs.  With hair dyed silver and face made up to accentuate an already potent feminine beauty, he stood out even amongst the passengers who had decided to wear those obnoxious sort of Hawaiian beach shirts.<br/><br/>Jacob pursed his lips together and gave Dee the dirtiest look imaginable.  He may as well have been a kitten glaring at a greyhound; his impotent fury made him all the more adorable.  That had always been a bit of a curse for him, looking far younger than he actually was.  Puberty had not done very much to leave its mark on the amber-haired youth.  Despite being forced to tag along on Dee's vacation against his will, he'd done his best to fight the man at every turn.  For starters, he was wearing a suit and tie, complete with jacket and dress shoes.  He looked as though he were about to attend a business conference, rather getting oriented with the island's...exotic inhabitants.<br/><br/>"You're...insufferable!  Not that I have anything against altitudinous peoples, but I would much prefer it if you could have found someplace a bit less...unsavory."  He glanced out the window in a huff.  At the very least the hideous flight was over, but now he'd have to deal with the consequences of his own lack of willpower.<br/><br/>Dee nudged him, a devilish look twisting his face.  "Unsavory?  But Jayjay, I know how much you<em>enjoy</em>women!  I thought this would be a dream come true!"  His voice was so syrupy that it threatened to drip all over the seats.<br/><br/>Another furious look.  Jacobi balled his delicate little hands into fists.  "That's a<em>lie!</em>" he hissed angrily.  "<em>You</em>always get me into insidiously perverted situations, and then<em>I</em>look like nothing more than a lecherous kid!  You know how much women...unnerve me."  The boy sighed and looked down at his knees.  Social ineptness was one thing, but in the presence of beautiful ladies he would devolve into a stammering mess.<br/><br/>As the plane began unloading its passengers, Dee flashed him an encouraging look.  "And that's exactly why we're here!  By the end of this trip, Jayjay, you'll be the most confident man around!  I guarantee it!"<br/><br/>He didn't look at all convinced.  "...hrmph.  And stop calling me that..." He mumbled testily.<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>The hotel was absolutely massive, though both supposed that it had to be.  Presumably the owners of the island wouldn't deny entry to their gargantuan attractions, so every outer door looked as though it could have fit an entire herd of elephants.  Jacobi was wringing the cuffs of his suit jacket from nervousness, while Dee merely looked around with a gaping grin on his face.  How the two had ever come to be friends, it was impossible to guess at.<br/><br/>Eddie wrapped an arm around Jacob once they'd sat down in the auditorium.  He'd ensured they were quite close to the front, for reasons that the latter could only guess unpleasantly at...<br/><br/>"Don't fret, Jayjay!  I promise you'll enjoy this, eh?" he whispered conspiratorially.  "It'll do ya some good!  And I swear to my mother, if you keep that suit on the whole time we're here I'll strip you down to swimming trunks myself..."<br/><br/>Jacobi just sunk in his seat with an increasingly depressed look on his face.  He detested taking his shirt off in public, but he knew Dee was the sort to keep his word, and the last thing he wanted was the artist's paint-stained fingers all over him.  He'd just have to grin and bear it, and hope for the best...