A/N: Okay, spell check had a field day with this chapter. I included an IM conversation, so I am sure you can imagine. That brings me to my next item of business. I use IM very infrequently and so am not familiar with much internet shorthand or online smilies. (gasp!) Besides, it is hard to read that kind of language in a story which is why I wrote the IM conversation in informal standard English. And I just realized that is an oxymoron. Oh well. Live with it. If, however, you find a word which you feel is spelled incorrectly when it is not supposed to, please let me know about it.

By the way, Promenade is a café in Graz popular with artists and musicians. Harrach is another café, known for its student crowd and coffee art. Um other city landmarks are kind of non-essential to this chapter and are included to show off. Did I say that? Ever humble, aren’t we? Hahaha. Now I must return to homework! Ciao.

Chapter Four

The next morning, Zelda sat cross-legged on her bed with her laptop balanced on her knees, a cup of coffee in one hand, and a small sweet-cheese croissant in the other. She well knew that she was putting her unit in danger with the proximity of the food and drink, but she figured she could finish breakfast while waiting for the computer to recognize the ADSL internet connection. The clerk from the front desk had assured her that the net was fully functional and provided for a small fee, so she instantly logged on and was now expecting her homepage, the omnipresent Google search, to pop up before her. In the meantime, room service had obligingly laid down a tray of fresh fruit and pastry on her table.

She first accessed her inbox and skimmed through the subject lines of her email before dismissing them and opening instant messenger. The previous evening, when she had returned from the Poco Loco, still wearing a smile over the mystery man's buying her a drink, she called Vivique to tell her that she had arrived in Graz and that they, along with Lilo, should have a three-way conversation online before deciding what they should do the next morning. Vivique excitedly promised to let Lilo know of their plans, and presently Zelda viewed her buddy list to gauge if either one was online yet.

Lis Artistique: Hallo? Vive, Lilo? Anyone there?

La Die La: Ja. Zelda, how are you?

Pause. Zelda smiled when she saw Vivique's screen name appear on her monitor.

Zahlphi: You just talked to her last night. LOL. What kind of question is that? Hey, Z, did you get the jeans?

She then shook her head after reading Lilo's response.

Lis Artistique: Yeah, yeah, I got your precious jeans. You so owe me now.

Zahlphi: K.

La Die La: Did you get me anything, Z?

Lis Artistique: Was I supposed to?

La Die La: Well … well ... I thought ...

Zahlphi: Relax. You just got that huge rock on your finger.

La Die La: Shut up. That's different, genius.

Lis Artistique: Wooo, cat fight, cat fight! LOL. Vive, do you honestly believe I didn't get you anything?

La Die La: Um ... no, but ... Lilo, stop laughing.

Zahlphi: I am not laughing.

La Die La: Ja-huh.

Lis Artistique: So, anyways, I got you a Polo. Happy?

La Die La: Oh, that's cool. I was hankering for one of those.

Zahlphi: I wonder how ever in the world Z knew.

Lis Artistique: I'm gifted. What can I say?

La Die La: Oh, LL, you're the best!

Zahlphi: Yeah, I know.

Lis Artistique: Hey, what about me?

La Die La: You're good, too.

Lis Artistique: Just "good"?

La Die La: OK, ok, take it back. You're awesome, beautiful, creative, dazzling, excellenté, fabulous, great, ... um, I can't think of an h-word ...

Zahlphi: Maybe honorable?

La Die La: That's so 19th century. But ... incredible, just, knowledgeable, lovable, magnificent, naturally opulent, polished, quintessential, radiant, stylish, talented, uniquely vivacious, wonderful--

Lis Artistique: OK, I get the picture.

La Die La: I'M NOT DONE YET!!!

Zahlphi: I think she's mad.

Lis Artistique: Whatever.

La Die La: Wonderful ... something with x, youthful, and just the Zelda we all know and love.

Lis Artistique: Vive! Shut up! We all know I'm perfect, but we have to talk about other things.

Zahlphi: Who said you're perfect?

Lis Artistique: Don't worry. You're special in your own special way.

Zahlphi: Special?

La Die La: Got to be another one of those Americanisms.

Lis Artistique: LOL. Yeah. Like it?

Zahlphi: No.

La Die La: It's rather vague, don't you think?

Lis Artistique: Yeah ... But then again, I didn't come up with it.

Zahlphi: Wonder who did.

La Die La: A very "special" person, of course.

Lis Artistique: LOL.

Zahlphi: Not funny, V.

La Die La: Z thought so.

Zahlphi: So? Z thinks a lot of things. That doesn't mean you go with it just like that.

La Die La: OK, ok. Sorry ... No need to get so combative.

Zahlphi: Yeah, you're right. What were we talking about?

Lis Artistique: I thought you'd never ask.

Zahlphi: I sorry. Seriously. I promise to listen now.

La Die La: Just wait. She's going to put in a qualifier or impose conditions.

Zahlphi: Spare me.

Lis Artistique: I should log off I guess.

La Die La: No

Zahlphi: We love you!

La Die La: Aww.

Lis Artistique: How cute. e-hug!

La Die La: Cool!

Lis Artistique: OK, continuing ... I was thinking--

Zahlphi: No way, you think?

La Die La: You're so mean. LOL

Lis Artistique: I'm simply traumatized ... devastated … scarred for life. Yes, I think and perform any number of mental functions. But really. Where do you guys want to meet?

La Die La: Well, why didn't you ask that before hand?

Zahlphi: Look who's talking.

La Die La: Hey! Hey! You want to take this outside?

Lis Artistique: Um, guys? We're online. There's no "outside." I just thought I should let you know.

La Die La: Nonsense. We could just open a new window.

Lis Artistique: Yeah, you could, but why would you?

Zahlphi: Just because.

Lis Artistique: Um yeah ... Promenade or Harrach?

Zahlphi: What about Schubert?

La Die La: Na, or do we plan to go to the cinema, and I just didn't know about it.

Lis Artistique: Oh, we could do that. Didn't think of it.

Zahlphi: Except there are no good flicks showing right now.

Lis Artistique: Really? Did Three Hundred reach you guys yet?

La Die La: Wha?

Lis Artistique: I'm guessing no.

Zahlphi: What's it about?

Lis Artistique: Don't know. Haven't seen it, but I believe it has something to do with the Peloponnesian war.

Zahlphi: Booooring!

La Die La: Documentary?

Lis Artistique: Computer animation.

La Die La: Hmmmm. Good music?

Lis Artistique: Don't know. Lots of blood and guts though.

La Die La: Like Gladiator?

Lis Artistique: Again, I haven't seen it, so I don't know.

Zahlphi: You guys!

Lis Artistique: Aww, did we leave out the poor little Number Phi?

Zahlphi: Wha?

La Die La: Your name, genius, only in Englisch.

Zahlphi: Oh. Oh yeah. LOL. No, let's go to Promenade. I think we can afford it now.

Lis Artistique: As if we could afford Harrach.

La Die La: Those were the good old days--poor, bohemian spirits of the coffeehouse.

Lis Artistique: Promenade sounds nice. Haven't gone there in a while.

La Die La: And, don't forget, I met my charming fiancé there.

Lis Artistique: You did? And you tell me now?

Zahlphi: See, now we have to go to Promenade just so V can tell you the entire story. It's really quite fluffy and pretty. (sniffles and dabs at eye)

La Die La: Ja. Let's meet there in an hour. OK?

Lis Artistique: Ja, I'll be ready.

La Die La: OK then.

Zahlphi: WAIT!!!

Lis Artistique: Wha?

Zahlphi: What are our plans for the evening?

La Die La: Something fun and exciting.

Lis Artistique: Like what?

La Die La: Shopping? Shopping is good. There's a new store at Puntigam--and a glass elevator! Oooooooo.

Lis Artistique: I think we need more than just an evening for shopping.

La Die La: I agree.

Zahlphi: We should eat dinner maybe.

La Die La: That's not fun and exciting.

Zahlphi: It can be, depends where you go.

Lis Artistique: Or if some hot stranger buys you a drink but doesn't really talk to you.

Zahlphi: Did someone say hot stranger?

La Die La: LOL.

Lis Artistique: Yup.

La Die La: Cool.

Zahlphi: You must tell us the story. When and where did this happen.

Lis Artistique: For now, I'll tell you that it occurred at the Poco Loco last night.

La Die La: Let's go to the Poco Loco tonight!

Zahlphi: Na.

Lis Artistique: Then where?

La Die La: I Know! I know! I'm a genius.

Zahlphi: I'm the genius, smart one.

La Die La: OK. Whatever you say, dude.

Lis Artistique: So, let's hear this bright idea of yours.

La Die La: I thought we could go to the casino.

Zahlphi: Casino Graz?

La Die La: No, Monte Carlo. Ja, what else?

Zahlphi: Well ...

La Die La: Look, genius, there's only 1 casino in Graz, and we can eat dinner at the restaurant there because I realize how food is a big concern for you.

Lis Artistique: I'm game. Never gone to Vegas so might as well go here.

Zahlphi: You've never gone to Vegas? What about Caesar's Palace or the Colosseum?

Lis Artistique: They're in Vegas, so I haven't gone to them either.

La Die La: Casino Graz, then?

Zahlphi: No. V, you can't play poker. You manage to lose even when I let you cheat. Heck, you can't even win a round of solitaire.

La Die La: Well, there are the slots ...

Zahlphi: Oh, real fun and exciting those.

Lis Artistique: But then there is Black Jack or the Shell Game.

La Die La: And some good old French roulette. So there.

Zahlphi: V, you're going to bankrupt yourself tonight.

La Die La: But with panache.

Lis Artistique: That's how I look at it. If you're going down, go down in style. Likewise, if you're going to die, die happy, or laughing at something.

Zahlphi: Or poor.

La Die La: That's the artist's death.

Lis Artistique: This is turning very macabre.

La Die La: Ja, you're right.

Zahlphi: Promenade ... an hour from now.

La Die La: And Casino Graz this evening. We'll decide the precise time and location over luncheon.

Lis Artistique: Something like that. I'll see you in a bit. ciao.

La Die La: Buh. Bye.

Zahlphi: Later ...

And with that, Zelda signed off. She emerged from her cold shower, amidst the fragrance of lavender and orange-mango, wearing a white pair of Dolce and Gabbana shorts and a beige T-shirt with an Yves Saint Laurent tennis bracelet on her left wrist, never mind that she did not play tennis. She grabbed a large, Macy's shopping bag filled with the clothes requested by her friends and Gucci purse before heading down to the lobby where she asked for directions to Cafe Promenade.

The morning was cool and fresh when she walked out of the Weitzer's doors and made her way to the parking garage. In a few minutes, her golden Mercedes was cruising through Graz toward the Stadtpark and College of Music whose future concert masters and second chairs frequented the Promenade when not scheduled to audition for the Staatsoper or Vienna Philharmonic. Those "poor bohemian spirits of the coffeehouse", as Vivique described them, hid behind the glass facade of the cafe, savoring a cup of java and the quiet conversation in the idyllic environs. Artists, with their sketch pads and pencils, drew the swirling wisps of steam that emanated from their cappuccinos or mochas while writers scribbled errant inspirations on square napkins tucked under an Irish coffee. The smell of Turkish or Aztec coffee beans permeated the atmosphere as some Mozart concerto sounded in the background. This was the caffeine paradise into which Zelda walked once she parked her car. Lilo and Vivique, as she suspected, sat together in a corner table, quietly though quickly talking while they waited for her to arrive.

Vivique looked nothing like the Scandinavian she was supposed to be. She was a small bronzy-skinned woman who would have probably made an excellent secret agent as Zelda and Lilo had joked in their school days though her slight stature did allow her to crawl inside discordant bases or great church organs which needed restoration. Hers was a dark beauty: jet black hair and eyes of amethystine purple-violet. Lilo, on the other hand, was tall and fair with an air of tropic exoticism about her. Zelda and Vivique agreed it was her auburn curls and cyan-colored eyes which reminded one of coral seas and swimming with dolphins.

Smiling, Zelda made her way to the pair, glancing from time to time at the pictures of mugs and music notes on the wall. "Is this seat taken?" she inquired, when she stood before her friends.

"Zelda!" Vivique exclaimed in a hushed shout.

"Hey, Z," Lilo greeted, bouncing out of her seat. Vivique then parted with her mocha and got to her feet as well.

They hugged as a threesome, Lilo and Vivique on either side of their American friend. "You guys ..." Zelda ventured. "You're cutting my circulation."

"Na," Lilo replied, squeezing Zelda harder.

"What a welcome," Vivique retorted, giving Zelda a playful punch on her arm. "We haven't seen you for the last five million years, and all you can say is that we endanger your cardiac functionality."

Zelda rolled her eyes.

"Stand back," Lilo commanded. "I want to take a look at you."

"What? ... Okay," Zelda returned, stepping backward.

"Ah!" Vivique chimed in. "Very good, very good. ... Very good, indeed."

Zelda laughed. "I'm glad you approve, doctor."

"Oh, you look wonderful, daaling, just wonderful," Lilo teased, circling her.

"Now that we're satisfied that I haven't gained too much weight or lost my figure and what not, let's sit and talk," Zelda suggested, sinking into the nearest chair.

"Yeah, let's," Vivique said, walking behind her and plopping down adjacent her seat. "Oh! What's in the bag.

Lilo shrugged and sipped her mocha. "Ponder that, would you?" she instructed. "It's not that hard."

Obligingly, Zelda extracted a Polo top and mini skirt and presented the outfit to Vivique who was already feeling the fabric and eying the designer label on the pocket of the shirt. Next, she gave Lilo a pair of Calvin Kleins with an Alexander McQueen shirt.

"Wow! It's so soft!" Vivique noted, inspecting the pleats of the skirt. "I love it."

"As I knew you would," Zelda replied. "And what about you, Little Lilo. Like yours?"

"Uh-huh," she said absently. "Cargo pockets ... funky keyring thingy ... these nice accents on the legs ... triangular pockets." Lilo trailed off, nodding her head as she found features which she liked.

"Aww, Zelda, you're awesome!" Vivique declared. "I'm going to take you to every store now and make you buy whatever you want. We'll start with drinks here. What do you wish to sip?"

"Hmmm. Seems Graz is the place to be to freeload on drinks," Zelda observed cryptically. "I'll take a dry Irish coffee."

"Okay. I'll be right back," she called out, rushing to the counter.

"So?" began Lilo with a sly rise of an eyebrow, "what happened at the Poco Loco?"

"Well ... Just wait till Vive returns," Zelda said. "I'm sure she'll have something to say about all this."

"Say about all what?" Vivique questioned, tapping a foot on the ground.

"You're back already?" Zelda inquired in a skeptical tone.

"Well ja. But I didn't know if you wanted a strudel or scone, so I ordered both."

"Okay, but you're sharing the strudel with me," Zelda conceded.

"Ja, ja. Whatever. But what would I have something to say about?” she asked, taking her seat once more.

"Zelda's amorous exploits at the Poco Loco," Lilo filled in.

At this point, Vivique's eyes grew to the size of the saucers which lay under their cups. "But Z, I thought you're already married," she remarked.

"Cut it out, you," Zelda ordered, lightly striking Vivique on the arm and shooting Lilo a warning look. "You're so bad."

"What? ... Okay, now I'm just confused," she returned.

"It's no big deal really," Zelda concluded, eying both women. "I'm at the bar, slash lounge area, and the bartender asks me what I want. I tell him I want a pina colada, he says ‘sure,’ and proceeds to make it without charging me. I insist I want to pay, but he assures me it's fine."

"Intrigue!" Vivique whispered dramatically.

"So then I get my drink, take a sip, declare it fabulous as always, and he beams before going to the other side of the bar," Zelda continued. "He was a very nice barman but very strange."

"Go on," Lilo urged, wearing a soft smirk on her lips.

"Okay," Zelda agreed, laughing slightly. "This is when it gets weird and romantic all at the same time."

"Uh-huh," Vivique coaxed, nodding.

"So I'm drinking my pina colada when the barman gives me a small dish of tortoni and a spoon," Vivique gasped while Lilo inclined her head to the side. "I tell him I didn't order it, but he says that I should try it anyways. It's really good and all. And before I do, I see this guy, a very nice-looking and well-dressed guy, who winks at me, so I obviously have to try the ice cream and love it."

"Very classy," Lilo noted. "One of the oldest tricks in the book."

"I gave the mystery man a smile, and we toasted each other in the air. It was fun, and he was so dreamy ... But I just left with a generous tip for the mixologist and a ‘thank you’ for the Poco Loco's resident hottie," Zelda narrated.

"That's so cute!" Vivique responded. "I wish Karl did something like that when he proposed."

"I found what he did very charming," Lilo retorted. "A serenade is not out of fashion now adays, you know?"

"Oh, tell me what happened, when, and where," Zelda begged.

"Not until you try your Irish coffee," Lilo insisted, accepting the tray which the Promenade servitor handed to her.

Zelda half sucked, half inhaled the whipped cream from her drink before taking a sip of it. "It's deelicious," she chimed.

"Good," Lilo returned. "Now, V, tell your love story."

Vivique had met Karl Schroeder when the latter was in the Promenade lamenting the state of disrepair in which his violin was in after its rough delivery from a boutique in Italy. Seeing the handsome music student hunched over his instrument in such a pathetic manner, she had approached him, told him that she specialized in restoration, and offered him a service job for a reduced fare since she liked him. Of course, he did not know that at the time. As auditions were coming up for a position at the Graz opera house, he accepted immediately and without question, much to Vivique's surprise, figuring he would want to know her credentials or certification at the very least. No matter. She took the violin back to her apartment, made a few purchases, and worked on the instrument with Vivaldi's Four Seasons in the background to keep her focused. The next evening, she found Karl in the Promenade nervously shredding his napkin, but his anxiety quickly dissipated upon receiving his fully tuned instrument from the petite little angel of the previous day.

"You're too kind. Come, I'll buy you a cappuccino," he said, playing a rapid arpeggio as accompaniment. She had agreed, and together they talked about music, the up-coming opera season, and their lives in general.

The audition was two days after their lengthy conversation at the Promenade. She went with him to the opera house for moral support, and he performed flawlessly from what she could tell. But then again, she did not have the critical ear of the conductor and concert master, so she could not be certain. Much to her and Karl's delight, however, the company liked him and invited him to start playing for the ensemble at his earliest convenience which he readily did, giving up his graduate musicology degree for a fulltime position as second chair. Vivique had come to his first show and cheered him all the way from her front row seat in the orchestra. That night, they celebrated with dinner at a fancy restaurant.

Ever since then, Vivique had attended the opera or the symphony free of charge, and eventually Karl and she became close friends until a few weeks ago. On that particular day, Vivique was in a pretty lousy mood because she had had a rough afternoon and a not-so gratifying morning. One of her clients was unhappy with the restoration she had done and demanded a refund. In her line of work, however, refunds were unheard of, so she was trapped in a corner. Karl found her with her head in her arms and a half-empty cup of mocha beside her, wearily sighing into the darkness of her makeshift pillow. He slowly extracted his violin from its sleek case, tuned it briefly, and started playing passages from The Sleeping Beauty which he knew was one of Vivique's favorite ballets. As she raised her sad face to his playing, he changed to Pachelbel's Canon and, with an extraordinary amount of dexterity, presented her with a ring while continuing to play the majestic melody of the timeless piece of weddings; all this was done, no less, as he was crouched on the floor of the cafe just beyond her chair.

"Marry me?" he asked once he had finished the final strain.

"I think I looked absolutely stunned," Vivique recalled, draining her mocha. "But I guess I realized at that moment that I loved him."

"And you said yes!" Zelda concluded with a wistful expression on her face.

"He got down on knees for you," Lilo muttered. "What a darling."

"What table was it at?" Zelda asked, glancing at the furnishings around her.

"That one," Vivique answered, pointing to a table above which was a print of the Graz opera house.

"Ah," Lilo returned with a far-away look.

"How appropriate," Zelda murmured. "Well, Vive, I'm immensely happy for you. And you, Little Lilo," she continued, turning to her single friend, "are going to find someone real soon."

Lilo smiled and then shrugged. "I guess."

"I don't like that attitude of yours," Zelda scolded. "Suck it up, soldier. You're an intelligent, beautiful, funny lady, and your knight is probably just studying the soldering technique on his shining armor. When he finally figures out that there are other things which shine just as brightly—“

"He'll mount his trusty steed, come to you by moonlight, and sweep you off your feet. And don't deny it," Vivique supplied with a flourish of her swivel stick, pretending it was a Hungarian saber.

Lilo laughed. "All right. All right. You think I could meet him at the casino?"

"Don't know," Zelda returned.

"But we should get ready," Vivique remarked. "i don't know about you guys, but I have nothing to wear ..."

"Oh stop," Lilo responded, waving the mini skirt in Vivique's face.

"Evening gown or cocktail dress? So many choices, so few opportunities ..." Zelda muttered. "I'll see you both at the front of the casino. I expect you to wait for me because I wouldn't know where to go."

"But it would be more fun to watch you go to the gambling school instead of the roulette room," Vivique called after Zelda's retreating back.

"You need to go to the gambling school, V, not Zelda," Lilo tartly noted to which Vivique deflated in an exaggeration of wounded pride.