[ 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?
[ well, he doesn't know that! maybe was all about the sun rising over the mountains while sipping freshly brewed coffee. but apparently she was the 'bury yourself in bed until noon' type. nothing wrong with that. ]
Invisibility. More benefits to that one than flying.
[ flying was a great way to make an escape but so was no one being able to see him. but invisibility meant getting into places he shouldn't be without anyone noticing as well. couldn't do that with flying. ]
Would you rather tell someone a secret or confess your biggest regret?
[ he wasn't asking what they were, just what she'd prefer. ]
[ he was too cute to need to do that. she's pretty sure he could get a view if he just asked nicely.
but as far as getting a straight answer out of her... well. maybe not. caroline visibly fidgets, a thumb dragging around the rim of her glass, as she tries to decide how to answer. ]
What if they're the same?
[ in reality, they aren't. caroline's secret (her vampirism) isn't a regret. but killing a man to stay alive... that was. ]
[ okay, he hadn't expected that and it gives him pause before he shrugs. ]
Then I guess the question would be: confess or lie?
[ not any easier of a question, he knows. there's a lot of things that he's lying to her about now by virtue of not telling her when he probably should.
but, they're talking about her right now and not him. ]
[ she tries to look casual in the sip of her drink, but it's a futile thing. caroline has never been a good liar, even worse when asked outright, and though he's not explicitly asking her whether she's going to confess something or continue keeping it a secret, she feels the heat under her metaphorical collar all the same. ]
Neither.
[ not the way you play the game. but she doesn't care. ]
I wouldn't confess, but I wouldn't lie either. If they didn't ask, it's not a lie.
[ she makes a good point. he reaches for his glass and tips it back, swallowing some of the alcohol before settling the cup back down. ]
I agree with you.
[ if no one asked you what you were hiding, then they wouldn't know you were hiding anything and thus you didn't have to lie. he nods once and then gestures to her. ]
Go 'head. [ even if he doesn't press her for answers, he does notice that she'd gotten a little less confident than usual during that question. which he takes to mean there's something she's not telling him. he hasn't earned the right to ask her about that though. ] Do your worst.
[ as the cup settles on the table, caroline leans forward, topping off his and hers glasses with a small pour. not enough to be a full glass, but just enough to refill from what's been taken in. ]
If you want something, do you think you should go after it or wait for it to come to you?
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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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[ dances, fireworks, underground fights, clandestine meetings... ]
Pick a superpower: flying or invisibility?
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Invisibility. More benefits to that one than flying.
[ flying was a great way to make an escape but so was no one being able to see him. but invisibility meant getting into places he shouldn't be without anyone noticing as well. couldn't do that with flying. ]
Would you rather tell someone a secret or confess your biggest regret?
[ he wasn't asking what they were, just what she'd prefer. ]
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[ he was too cute to need to do that. she's pretty sure he could get a view if he just asked nicely.
but as far as getting a straight answer out of her... well. maybe not. caroline visibly fidgets, a thumb dragging around the rim of her glass, as she tries to decide how to answer. ]
What if they're the same?
[ in reality, they aren't. caroline's secret (her vampirism) isn't a regret. but killing a man to stay alive... that was. ]
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Then I guess the question would be: confess or lie?
[ not any easier of a question, he knows. there's a lot of things that he's lying to her about now by virtue of not telling her when he probably should.
but, they're talking about her right now and not him. ]
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Neither.
[ not the way you play the game. but she doesn't care. ]
I wouldn't confess, but I wouldn't lie either. If they didn't ask, it's not a lie.
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[ she makes a good point. he reaches for his glass and tips it back, swallowing some of the alcohol before settling the cup back down. ]
I agree with you.
[ if no one asked you what you were hiding, then they wouldn't know you were hiding anything and thus you didn't have to lie. he nods once and then gestures to her. ]
Go 'head. [ even if he doesn't press her for answers, he does notice that she'd gotten a little less confident than usual during that question. which he takes to mean there's something she's not telling him. he hasn't earned the right to ask her about that though. ] Do your worst.
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If you want something, do you think you should go after it or wait for it to come to you?
[ something, or someone? or both? ]
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[ he's done it both ways with varying degrees of success but it's all very dependent on what you're going after. or who you're going after, as well. ]
One way might work for one thing but not for another. Can you be more specific? What am I going after?
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