<strong>The Dining Room</strong><br/><br/>Enzo smiled as he sliced a bite from the nearly raw steak in front of him. Melody's distress was obvious to any observer, but only he and his father saw what was occurring at a deeper level. It had been some time since he had played this game with Marco. It was something like a contest, something like a jazz improvisational session, and there was no one on the Island better at it than the man who now sat to his left, save perhaps his wife. The rules had never been quantified, and they didn't need to be. Either you understood them implicitly, or you lost.<br/><br/>What made this even more interesting is that the new slave had not yet been marked. Which left open the distinct possibility that she was not only the sole playing piece in this game, but potentially the prize as well.<br/><br/>Enzo pondered as he chewed and swallowed, then lifted his glass of Burgundy and raised it slightly to his father in salute. To his mind it was an overly bold opening move that his father had chosen, or perhaps Melody was simply more sensitive than he had anticipated. To move directly to pain of such a degree bespoke a certain lack of subtlety that was not at all characteristic of the older man.<br/><br/>He could not simply undo the change. It would not be unfair; it would be boring, and that would be an admission of defeat. But he could work around it. Extending his Power through Melody's body he measured the extent of the distress caused by the false hunger signal. Slowly he built a new connection, a release of endorphins into her system that would rise to a level just eclipsing the effects of the artificially high hunger enzyme. The endorphins were not random, though, but tied to a particular stimuli: the presence of ethanol in her system. The more she drank, the more ecstatic she would feel, far beyond the normal effects of alcohol on a woman of her size.<br/><br/>"That is indeed tragic, father. Perhaps she was a victim of the pirates in the region? Certainly we should do anything in our power to ensure that she is quickly reunited with her family, though it also behooves us to make her accidental stay here an enjoyable one." He turned his attention to Melody, still deliberately overlooking her odd behavior. "Perhaps you should visit my clinic later, Melody. You do look a bit peaked. Here, have a bit of wine to calm your nerves." He poured a full glass for her, and set the remainder of the bottle down within her easy reach.<br/>