What kind of place were you at that this is better? [ he doesn't know if he can say that about where he'd come from. this place might be better but it's not where he's needed. it's not where he'd spent so many years trying to make a better world for people like him. this place might not even need him. ]
I wish I had your optimism. [ because he's talked to a lot of people who've been here awhile. people who've been here months going on a year. that doesn't really strike him as a matter of time. ]
But I guess they can't keep us forever. [ that was his best attempt at being positive. ]
[ he asks, but she doesn't answer right away. instead, she downloads the bar's menu onto her neural desktop and looks over the options. there are too many, really, and beer's never been her thing. there are a lot of them on the menu, too — porters and stouts and ipas and whatever a craft draft flight was.
it's easier just to tell the digital waiter that she wants a double bourbon neat. so she does. two of them, in fact; one for her and one for him, the first round on her as promised. only then does caroline turn her full attention back to him, blinking a bit to adjust her eyes from digital holoscreen to the real world. ]
I was — [ but she shakes her head, the words stilling on her lips. it's not exactly a fun story to tell, and besides, she doesn't really think he's all that interested in the specifics. ]
I'm probably the only person who says that, though. I think most people are in your shoes. They just want to get home.
[ she starts and stops herself before saying anything and while marcos mentally files that away, he doesn't push on her. she's been nice to him, kind when she didn't have to be, and he doesn't want to force something out of her that she doesn't want to share. it's not his place. ]
Maybe.
[ he hasn't talked to enough people to really know. most conversations that he's had have revolved around the who and what and where and how of it. ways to make his adjustment easier and how to go about living a life here. ]
But if this place is better for you, then good. That's a good thing.
[ it is a good thing, and she appreciates him saying so — but she appreciates the quick delivery of two rocks glasses a little more, each one bearing the promised two shots neat and settled in front of their respective drinker.
there's a casual ease in the way caroline's fingers wrap around her glass, lifting the rim to her lips for a slow inhale before she actually takes a sip. god, but bourbon just smells so good. ]
[ it was a good toast to make. would it have any bearing on the good things? probably not but it was still a good toast. he picks up the glass and knocks it back quickly, letting it slide down his throat and into his blood.
that definitely wasn't the cheap stuff. that wasn't bottom shelf wine or gas station booze that had been easy for mutants to pick up back home. he blows out a breath and coughs. ]
[ it better be strong. if it was weak bourbon, she'd have to have words with the bartender for trying to shortchange her on a straight pour.
but when he coughs, caroline does have to tamp down a grin behind her glass. she could tip her own back in one go — and handle it better than he does, for sure — but instead, she sips, savoring the burn and the woodsy flavor as it coats her mouth. ]
They have beer, too, if you need something weaker.
[ caroline's been spoiled in that regard. most of her liquor back home came pilfered from the salvatores' own supply — good, aged bourbon, either kept and aged at home or simply lifted from a liquor store with a kiss of compulsion.
she's had weak beer and cheap mixers at parties, of course, but that seems like a lifetime ago. before she'd died and come back, before alcohol became more than just an escape path, before it was a way of mitigating much stronger cravings. ]
[ he can...figure something out. he has a little money earned from some odd jobs in new tokyo and he thinks he can probably get a job really quick which means he can buy at least one round.
maybe. ]
I can get us something. [ and if he can't afford it, he can wash dishes until the tabs paid off or something. ]
[ marcos, please. have you seen her? she's a reasonably attractive girl in a bar populated mostly by dudes, she's pretty sure she could get a free bottle if she asked the right person.
which is, obviously, what she does, pulling away from their booth long enough to sidle up to an empty spot at the bar. it doesn't take long — maybe five minutes of friendly, flirtatious chatter before she's mentioning really wanting to try that brand of bourbon on the top shelf — the same brand that only comes in bottle pours, easily twice as expensive per ounce as the stuff she'd ordered on her own.
doesn't seem to stop a thirsty man from trying to win her over, though, so she's all smiles when the bartender hands it over. could she stay at the bar and give the man at least the courtesy of her attention for a few minutes more? well, sure, but she doesn't want to. more fun to scamper back to their booth, a pleased smile on her face as she sets the bottle in front of her companion. ]
You can get dessert, how about that?
[ there's a cute food truck down the street that sells rolled ice cream. she's been wanting to try it. ]
[ there's not much else he can do but sit back and watch her do her thing. it's not an entirely unfamiliar thing to see. he's been friends with girls who've been able to talk their way into free drinks or just...use their abilities when worse came to worse.
but, as far as he can tell, this is just her using her personality and he watches on in amusement as the bartender just falls for it and gives her what he knows to be an expensive bottle of alcohol. she doesn't linger and soon enough, she's back at the table, bottle on the table between them. ]
You've done that before.
[ there was experience in how she'd worked that. ]
I'll buy you some dessert just for letting me watch that.
[ she hasn't. well, not in this exact scenario, not literally using her charms and feminine wiles to walk away with a free bottle of booze. but she's certainly charmed her way into things before, and even without the benefit of compulsion, being able to zero in on someone whose heartbeat kicked up a few notches in her presence makes things a little easier.
but knowing that it works? that's half the battle. ]
You're always welcome to watch, you know. [ a wink, there and gone in a flash, as she reaches for their empty glasses to refill them. the pour this time is a little smaller. pace yourself, she wants to tell him. don't get yourself drunk under a table when there's no money on the line. ]
[ it's an automatic reaction, a wall thrown up just in case someone tries to step around it and get themselves closer than he wants. she wouldn't say that if she knew him so might as well just — just make that known.
but, he doesn't reach for another glass at least. he does stare at them intently so he doesn't have to look up at her and what he expects would be a concerned expression. ]
Can't get home, remember? [ they'd taken him (and her) from their homes. ] I'm fine though. I can handle it.
[ okay, mr broody tuesday, you can tone down the grouch factor. she's not put off by it... mostly because she's an expert in Ignoring It. instead, caroline pours herself another glass, tipping it gently in his direction before taking a sip. ]
And you know what I meant.
[ back to the safehouse, not back to where they came from. if they wallowed in that misery, they'd never get out of it. all they can do is keep moving forward. persevere, like scarlett o'hara. ]
If you want another glass, you have to actually talk to me. I didn't get this so you could sulk.
[ all right, even he can admit that might have been a knee jerk overreaction. hard not to have them after everything but it wasn't her fault. she hadn't brought him here. he holds up a hand in apology and blows out a breath. ]
Talk to you about what?
[ he folds his hands in front of him and nods. if she wants to talk, he's been known to be able to do that here and there lately. he could hold a conversation without being a total jackass. ]
[ she shrugs off the apology. it's not like he insulted her. she's heard worse. ]
I don't know. You said I don't know you, so let's change that. [ as if to entice, she drapes a half-pour into his glass, sliding it over to him. ] Or we can play 20 Questions, if you'd rather.
[ he takes the drink and curls his fingers around it but doesn't immediately do anything but hold it. he taps the glass against the wood, thoughtful for a few seconds, before figuring out something easy he could tell her. ]
Soy de Bogotá, Colombia. Probablemente nunca hayas estado, pero a veces hace calor y está mojado e incómodo No es un lugar fácil para vivir a menos que conozcas a las personas adecuadas. Ah, y puedo hablar español.
[ he actually follows that with a smile because maybe she knows spanish, maybe she doesn't but he's pretty pleased with himself for going that route with some information. don't worry, he'd translate if needed. ]
[ for marcos, he's zipping off a snappy comeback in español, perfectly accented with his columbian drawl. for caroline, though, it's all neat english, cleanly translated by the implant.
her brow furrows in confusion, not by the words themselves, but why he'd start with something so basic. ]
Okay. [ she does not speak spanish, but that's probably obvious from the everything about her. ] I'm from Mystic Falls. It's in Virginia, it's really small, nobody's ever heard of it. [ mostly because the supernatural vibes prevent that... but still. ] And I haven't been to Columbia, but I do really like margaritas.
[ it takes marcos a few seconds to realize what happened and when he does, he just grumbles silently and shakes his head. all right, backfire but at least she can't tell it was a backfire and do you think he's going to admit it?
maybe after he has another few drinks. instead, he just motions to her with his hand and says: ] Twenty questions, then. Go.
[ ask your question, caroline, and we'll see what falls out of his mouth on this fine day. he does file away the information she's given him. it is simple and plain but it's still something about her that he likes knowing. ]
[ at least he's playing along, rather than just slamming back drinks again. she doesn't mind a slow share of a bottle, but she likes marcos. she doesn't want to drink him under the table. ]
Okay. If you could choose, would it be always summer or always winter?
[ starting off with something easy and probably not likely to have traumatic backstory. ]
[ it's what he's used to. it's hot in colombia, hot in atlanta, hot in all the places he's been with the mutant underground. it's always comfortable but it does make a lot of things easier. ]
It makes moving around a lot easier if there's no snow on the ground. I can deal with rain but cold weather makes things difficult.
[ and when you needed to move resources or people, you didn't want it to be too hard. ]
Plus, I can get a good tone. [ ha ha, that's a joke. he can make them sometimes. ]
[ that's fair. it doesn't exactly snow in virginia, either, so she doesn't have a ton of experience in real winter. not like new tokyo winter, anyway. she can rock a cute coat, though. ]
But you can only take so much off, though. [ a pointed arch of her brow as she sips at her drink. ] At least if it's cold, you can always layer, right?
That's true but the pros outweigh the cons of summer. [ it helped that he hadn't really dealt with a heavy winter until he'd been dropped here. everything else had been chilly but not terribly cold. they could wear jackets and hats and gloves and still be okay while they were moving around. ]
Anyway, my turn. [ he'd answered her question so he got a question. that was how it worked, right? ] Morning or night?
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I wish I had your optimism. [ because he's talked to a lot of people who've been here awhile. people who've been here months going on a year. that doesn't really strike him as a matter of time. ]
But I guess they can't keep us forever. [ that was his best attempt at being positive. ]
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it's easier just to tell the digital waiter that she wants a double bourbon neat. so she does. two of them, in fact; one for her and one for him, the first round on her as promised. only then does caroline turn her full attention back to him, blinking a bit to adjust her eyes from digital holoscreen to the real world. ]
I was — [ but she shakes her head, the words stilling on her lips. it's not exactly a fun story to tell, and besides, she doesn't really think he's all that interested in the specifics. ]
I'm probably the only person who says that, though. I think most people are in your shoes. They just want to get home.
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Maybe.
[ he hasn't talked to enough people to really know. most conversations that he's had have revolved around the who and what and where and how of it. ways to make his adjustment easier and how to go about living a life here. ]
But if this place is better for you, then good. That's a good thing.
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there's a casual ease in the way caroline's fingers wrap around her glass, lifting the rim to her lips for a slow inhale before she actually takes a sip. god, but bourbon just smells so good. ]
To good things, then. For me and for you.
[ whatever those might be. ]
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that definitely wasn't the cheap stuff. that wasn't bottom shelf wine or gas station booze that had been easy for mutants to pick up back home. he blows out a breath and coughs. ]
Strong stuff.
[ he approves. ]
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but when he coughs, caroline does have to tamp down a grin behind her glass. she could tip her own back in one go — and handle it better than he does, for sure — but instead, she sips, savoring the burn and the woodsy flavor as it coats her mouth. ]
They have beer, too, if you need something weaker.
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[ that's all he says to that little joke. beer's fine. it's not his favorite but it'd do in a pinch. ]
It's better than the stuff we had access to back home. Bottom shelf, cheap stuff mostly. Did the job it was made to do but it wasn't quality.
[ didn't need to be when all you wanted it to do was make you forget so you could get a few hours of sleep. ]
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[ caroline's been spoiled in that regard. most of her liquor back home came pilfered from the salvatores' own supply — good, aged bourbon, either kept and aged at home or simply lifted from a liquor store with a kiss of compulsion.
she's had weak beer and cheap mixers at parties, of course, but that seems like a lifetime ago. before she'd died and come back, before alcohol became more than just an escape path, before it was a way of mitigating much stronger cravings. ]
Do you want another one?
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[ he can...figure something out. he has a little money earned from some odd jobs in new tokyo and he thinks he can probably get a job really quick which means he can buy at least one round.
maybe. ]
I can get us something. [ and if he can't afford it, he can wash dishes until the tabs paid off or something. ]
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[ marcos, please. have you seen her? she's a reasonably attractive girl in a bar populated mostly by dudes, she's pretty sure she could get a free bottle if she asked the right person.
which is, obviously, what she does, pulling away from their booth long enough to sidle up to an empty spot at the bar. it doesn't take long — maybe five minutes of friendly, flirtatious chatter before she's mentioning really wanting to try that brand of bourbon on the top shelf — the same brand that only comes in bottle pours, easily twice as expensive per ounce as the stuff she'd ordered on her own.
doesn't seem to stop a thirsty man from trying to win her over, though, so she's all smiles when the bartender hands it over. could she stay at the bar and give the man at least the courtesy of her attention for a few minutes more? well, sure, but she doesn't want to. more fun to scamper back to their booth, a pleased smile on her face as she sets the bottle in front of her companion. ]
You can get dessert, how about that?
[ there's a cute food truck down the street that sells rolled ice cream. she's been wanting to try it. ]
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but, as far as he can tell, this is just her using her personality and he watches on in amusement as the bartender just falls for it and gives her what he knows to be an expensive bottle of alcohol. she doesn't linger and soon enough, she's back at the table, bottle on the table between them. ]
You've done that before.
[ there was experience in how she'd worked that. ]
I'll buy you some dessert just for letting me watch that.
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[ she hasn't. well, not in this exact scenario, not literally using her charms and feminine wiles to walk away with a free bottle of booze. but she's certainly charmed her way into things before, and even without the benefit of compulsion, being able to zero in on someone whose heartbeat kicked up a few notches in her presence makes things a little easier.
but knowing that it works? that's half the battle. ]
You're always welcome to watch, you know. [ a wink, there and gone in a flash, as she reaches for their empty glasses to refill them. the pour this time is a little smaller. pace yourself, she wants to tell him. don't get yourself drunk under a table when there's no money on the line. ]
No dessert required.
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You've got better things to do than entertain me.
[ and that's a fact. she doesn't pour as much but he still tips it back quickly, ignoring her unspoken warning. ]
Trust me. You've got better things to do.
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[ though she does worry, a little, when he drops back another shot. this time, she doesn't refill either of their glasses. ]
There's no rush, you know. You don't have to get home by midnight or anything, do you?
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[ it's an automatic reaction, a wall thrown up just in case someone tries to step around it and get themselves closer than he wants. she wouldn't say that if she knew him so might as well just — just make that known.
but, he doesn't reach for another glass at least. he does stare at them intently so he doesn't have to look up at her and what he expects would be a concerned expression. ]
Can't get home, remember? [ they'd taken him (and her) from their homes. ] I'm fine though. I can handle it.
[ yeah right. ]
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[ okay, mr broody tuesday, you can tone down the grouch factor. she's not put off by it... mostly because she's an expert in Ignoring It. instead, caroline pours herself another glass, tipping it gently in his direction before taking a sip. ]
And you know what I meant.
[ back to the safehouse, not back to where they came from. if they wallowed in that misery, they'd never get out of it. all they can do is keep moving forward. persevere, like scarlett o'hara. ]
If you want another glass, you have to actually talk to me. I didn't get this so you could sulk.
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Talk to you about what?
[ he folds his hands in front of him and nods. if she wants to talk, he's been known to be able to do that here and there lately. he could hold a conversation without being a total jackass. ]
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I don't know. You said I don't know you, so let's change that. [ as if to entice, she drapes a half-pour into his glass, sliding it over to him. ] Or we can play 20 Questions, if you'd rather.
[ truly adult conversation starters ]
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[ he takes the drink and curls his fingers around it but doesn't immediately do anything but hold it. he taps the glass against the wood, thoughtful for a few seconds, before figuring out something easy he could tell her. ]
Soy de Bogotá, Colombia. Probablemente nunca hayas estado, pero a veces hace calor y está mojado e incómodo No es un lugar fácil para vivir a menos que conozcas a las personas adecuadas. Ah, y puedo hablar español.
[ he actually follows that with a smile because maybe she knows spanish, maybe she doesn't but he's pretty pleased with himself for going that route with some information. don't worry, he'd translate if needed. ]
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her brow furrows in confusion, not by the words themselves, but why he'd start with something so basic. ]
Okay. [ she does not speak spanish, but that's probably obvious from the everything about her. ] I'm from Mystic Falls. It's in Virginia, it's really small, nobody's ever heard of it. [ mostly because the supernatural vibes prevent that... but still. ] And I haven't been to Columbia, but I do really like margaritas.
[ that's... not the same. at all. ]
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maybe after he has another few drinks. instead, he just motions to her with his hand and says: ] Twenty questions, then. Go.
[ ask your question, caroline, and we'll see what falls out of his mouth on this fine day. he does file away the information she's given him. it is simple and plain but it's still something about her that he likes knowing. ]
I'm an open book.
[ ha ha. ]
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Okay. If you could choose, would it be always summer or always winter?
[ starting off with something easy and probably not likely to have traumatic backstory. ]
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[ it's what he's used to. it's hot in colombia, hot in atlanta, hot in all the places he's been with the mutant underground. it's always comfortable but it does make a lot of things easier. ]
It makes moving around a lot easier if there's no snow on the ground. I can deal with rain but cold weather makes things difficult.
[ and when you needed to move resources or people, you didn't want it to be too hard. ]
Plus, I can get a good tone. [ ha ha, that's a joke. he can make them sometimes. ]
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[ that's fair. it doesn't exactly snow in virginia, either, so she doesn't have a ton of experience in real winter. not like new tokyo winter, anyway. she can rock a cute coat, though. ]
But you can only take so much off, though. [ a pointed arch of her brow as she sips at her drink. ] At least if it's cold, you can always layer, right?
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Anyway, my turn. [ he'd answered her question so he got a question. that was how it worked, right? ] Morning or night?
[ she went simple so he returns the favor. ]
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