Bourbon Street

[Elda Forever]

OOC: Note, the phone conversation was Private RolePlayed with GG. Sorry it's so long! XD BIC:

Lilith Eytinge

“Hello? Trent?” She sniffed, letting out a laugh that did nothing to hide her previous tears, but she tried her best. Lilith wiped at her tears, as though he could see, and sat up a bit straighter. “Hey, what's up? Are you busy right now?”

”Nope,” came Trent's warm and slightly pompous voice, music playing loudly in the background. ”I am sitting by the phone waiting for you with baited breath.” He couldn't see the roll of her eyes, but he could hear her weak laugh, already a soft smile coming back to her lips. Always corny, but she was never quite sure how sincere he really was. Somehow, she didn't think that whatever else he had been doing couldn't be easily pushed aside in favor of listening to her. ”What's up?”

“Nice... um. Nothing much. I just... wondered if...” she realized she had no suitable excuse for why she had called him up. I needed to hear you voice. I was hoping I would get your answering machine, so I could hear you and feel better, then hang up and deny I had ever called.

He gave a laugh on the phone, and she felt like he'd heard her thoughts. ”I think this is the firs time I've heard you flustered like that. Want to try again? You've heard it a hundred times, I know.”

Her fingers played with the hem of her coat, and she blurted out, “I guess I just needed to hear your voice again, to be honest. I needed a friend.” This was stupid. You sound like a needy idiot. “I-I guess I should just call Cassie instead, sorry for bothering you, I'll..I'll just go.” As she pulled the phone from her ear, she heard his protest. ”Don't just go! Bad idea!” She put the phone back to her ear and listened to the ensuing silence for a moment, before he more quietly asked, ”Are you still there?”

She licked her lips. “Um..yeah..”

”Then don't screw with me by saying you're going!” he told her irritably.

”Anyway, now that I have auditory proof you need me.... What's up? I thought you sounded kind of sucky...”

“Don't be so full of yourself. And yeah, it's been a sucky day..started out sucky, then I had this crap with the groceries and daycare was hard today and...” she let out an exasperated sigh, “Trent, do you believe people can change? Or rather..that they should?”

She heard him let out a sound as though he was stretching in his chair, considering for a moment. Lilith could almost see him. ” I  know people can change. But if they should or not... that's more muddy.”

She tried to elaborate on her thoughts, “Say one person wants something,b ut the person they love can't give it to them. They want something different. Like, what if there's a couple, and one wants to have kids but the other doesn't like kids?”

There was a long silence, then, then he suddenly queried in a skeptical tone, “Are you asking me to give you boyfriend advice? Because certain parts of the Man Code forbid that....”

Yes. Or maybe about a boy that will never be my boyfriend. Augh! This is so messed up. I shouldn't have called. He's only made me more confused and frustrated. ” I can't risk losing the Man Card, you know. I'm already on probation for talking girl talk with you once. But...if I didn't have a Man Card....”

“Oh, please...” she grumbled, rolling her eyes once again.

Hold on! I said if” he reiterated, ”Then I think it could happen that they could compromise. With kids, obviously it's either all or none, but let's say the reason he didn't want kids was because he was afraid of losing his girl during labor or something. Who knows. Maybe he could be persuaded for adoption, or a surrogate.... So he isn't making a total one-eighty, but there is still a change made. It happens all the time. And the more it happens, the more likely one of the two will change, because the one changing wants to get the thing he wants. If he wants to get the love of his girl, who wants kids, he'll find a way to somehow want them too.” She ponders his words for awhile before he added as an afterthought, ”But that's only if I didn't have a Man Card.....”

Quietly she asked, “But is it right to make someone change for you? Or to change yourself for someone else?”

”I don't think you could make someone change. Unless you're starting to slip Prozac to your dude. Then we need another talk.”

“Maybe you just need a dose of estrogen, Trent..” she teased, his comment earning a little

”My theoretical sans-Card conversation definitely involved a person that changed for someone else.... Didn't you hear that awesome speech? It's gonna be taught in schools, right after MLK.” She smiled. He could sound so full of himself. But it really was just a front, wasn't it? A way to keep things casual, to keep them easier.”Estrogen. Just the word is kind of sickly.... I'm imagining a pink room now, thanks.”

She smiled, “You're welcome...” A long moment, and she whispered, “Trent...?”

”....Lilith?”

“What would you say if I...” her breath caught painfully in her throat, “I was engaged once. To a boy in Paris. His name was Caden.” The memory of Caden, of his pretty face always drawn in somber reflection, hearing his curt retorts and often harsh words, softened her voice considerably. Trent reminded her so much of Caden, of that cool rapport and cocky demeanor. It amused her and comforted her, a slow and easy chatter. But she had never thought that she would have mixed the memory and the man, the past and the present.

There was a long silence from Trent's end, then his skeptical voice began, ”....And now he's walked back into your life after breaking off the engagement, and so you're conflicted with feelings for him or against him, and crap!! You gave me estrogen through the phone?! ....Don't repeat that, please.”

“No, no!” she called, sniffling and stifling a laugh, “I broke it off with him...I don't even think he loved me like that anyways...it was more of a protective thing. But...” she took a deep breath, “I think I could have been happy with him. But...I knew I was still in love with another boy, a boy I couldn't have. And I still can't..: I know he loves me, but he's not the kind of boy to...you know, play it steady with one girl... I thought I was okay with that, but..I'm not. I never will be.. and now he's here again, and I'm all confused and..” She gave another sniffle, a few more tears escaping. She didn't want to think about Cat, of how he confused her. “I just want to hide under the covers.”

”If he's a swinger and you're not, then it's like I said.... something's gotta give. Either you cave and find yourself okay with that, or he mans up. I mean, crap, I see different girls, but it's not like I'm pledging to marry them. They know that. Facebook status never changes. But people change. That could change, too.”

She thought on that, of the times she'd been in Sanctuary, trying to pretend it was okay that Cat was out with others, that he also had a special relationship with Iah, their other roommate. That he had been jealous of her when she'd been around other men, and not only as a protective instinct. He'd been jealous. It wasn't the kind of life she wanted to live, to always be on edge and feeling like an option, not a choice. “Maybe..but I don't think I can wait for him to change anymore...I mean..I've tried so hard to be okay with it...I know it's who he is and I know why. But...I don't want to be the girl at home wondering who he's out with tonight.”

”Okay... I don't want to lie to you. I have no idea what to tell you. It sucks. It does, but.... I dunno.” She smiled at his straightforwardness. ”....I'm sorry, Lilith. “

“Yeah..I don't know..I guess I just needed to tell someone. Thanks, Trent..I really appreciate you putting aside your Man Card for a few minutes..”

She could almost hear the smirk in his voice as he responded breezily with, ”That's why I wait by the phone all day for you.”

“Haha..and all the other girls..”

”No, I have other phones for them. This is the Lilith phone.” This time, he won a genuine smile from her that he, unfortunately, couldn't appreciate. But somehow it made tears start down her cheeks again.

“Oh, so I am special enough to have one of your special phones? Mine better not be something odd like a hamburger phone..”

”That's confidential.” he retorted, making her giggle.

“Well, I'll let you get back to waiting for your phones to ring then, Trent. Thanks again. And by the way, this whole 'calling-you-up' thing is confidential, too. Mention it again and I'll mention your lack of a Man Card, ma'am.”

A pause, then a deep chuckle from Trent as he told her, ” ....You suck, Lilith.”

She closed her eyes, biting her lip because it couldn't decide whether to tremble or smirk. Lilith tried to maintain that tone of casual as she retorted, “Yeah, well, you suck, too. Talk to you later?”

”As long as you don't try to shoot me up with estrogen.” he compromised. In response she just laughed at him and hung up. Letting out a sigh when he was gone. It did make her feel better, having spoken to him about it. To anyone, really. She curled up on the bench in a protective position, the warm fries having no effect on the cool night as she pulled her jacket closer to her chest and tried to ignore the little shivers up and down her spine. Lilith had her knees pulled up to her chest and rested her arms across them, her face resting against her forearms as she closed her eyes and thought on Trent's words, on Cat's words, and wondered what it was she was looking for, anyway.

[More than Music]

OOC: Post for Lucas/Trent!
BIC:

Lucas Rydell

Alright, he could dig this.

Looking around with a crooked smile, Lucas watched the people dancing and laughing around him. Some old but awesome song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers was blasting, making the atmosphere more foreign than usual. Much better than the homework that was at home -- where it belonged. Sitting down at a table, he nodded, looking over at Trent.

"Cool," he said, leaning over. "You sure we won't get carded?" He laughed. "Seriously..."

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair. It was time to either spot out some nice-looking girl to dance with that didn't look like a total slut, or go for the bar and hope he didn't end up like that guy Doctor Ramsey went to college with, that apparently woke up the next day in someone's basement half an hour away from the party, with his shirt inside out and wearing ladies underwear. Well, at least, that was what Doctor Ramsey had said when he told Lucas what he thought of college parties. Lucas had been to more than a few parties, but they were all up-town in people's houses, and most of those people were someone he'd known through school. It wasn't until recently he'd felt brave enough to wander down to Bourbon Street, and definitely never alone.

He'd met Trent a few months ago, when he was testing out some engineering class. The class didn't last very long, but the two of them got along, and Lucas considered it a pretty good friendship, seeing as they were at a party on Bourbon Street now. He knew some of his other friends would kill for the opportunity, but he didn't feel like scouting for people tonight. It was a night for complete slacking and hanging out. He didn't have to worry about tracking down Trent.

"So, I'm a bad schoolboy and don't know the protocol here," he laughed. "Do you go for a girl first, or drinks?"

'Lucas Rydell, you better hope your dad doesn't figure out where you are, or you're so dead.'

[GGJ5]

Trent Fisher

Somehow Lucas amused Trent. Not Lucas himself, he guessed, but the fact that in some ways, Lucas felt like a little protege for the art of awesome. Plus, in some ways he was more fun to be around than half the people he normally hung with, because he was, in Trent's opinion, so sheltered it was almost beautiful. Because he wasn't one of the ones who just sat and dealt with being sheltered. He went out and changed it. It was just a great process to watch. And to create.

"This song sucks," Trent muttered to Lucas, but apparently it wasn't loud enough, because Lucas responded like a person who forgot his hearing aids.

"Cool. You sure we won't get carded?"

Trent looked at him almost in disbelief. "Seriously?"

He laughed. "Seriously..."

"Dude, why would we go to a place that cards? That would be stupid. Plus, most of the places that card will let you in anyway as long as you wear the X or bracelet or whatever that says you're underage, but that can be easily fixed." He shrugged, then visibly brightened as the song switched over to something more suitable to his own tastes. Classic Rage Against the Machine.

"So, I'm a bad schoolboy and don't know the protocol here," Lucas confessed with a laugh. "Do you go for a girl first, or drinks?"

Trent grinned and patted Lucas's shoulder. "First," he said knowingly, "Drop the word 'schoolboy' from your lexicon. Unless you're talking about some 3rd grader, then we have other problems to discuss. Secondly--" Here Trent shrugged-- "Just do what you want. Protocol's not all that tight. Just don't buy more drinks than you can pay for. That, my friend, is called suckage, AKA debt, and we want to avoid it." He glanced at the bar and the people milling about it. "What about the brunette over there, with the blue-green stuff?" (Referring to her jewelry and hair accessories, but definitely not calling them that.) "C'mon."

Trent picked up his own drink but glanced at Lucas. "Hey, you're on your own. That's not how I roll," he joked, then nodded back at the brunette. "Yes or no?"

[More than Music]

Lucas Rydell

"Cool. You sure we won't get carded?"

Trent just stared. "Seriously?"

Lucas laughed, making sure he didn't build up energy and get nervous. "Seriously..."

"Dude, why would we go to a place that cards?"

'Don't I feel stupid?'

Shrugging, he let it slide off of him. "Aren't they all supposed to card?" It seemed like a reasonable argument.

Apparently not.

"That would be stupid. Plus," Trent continued, easily. "most of the places that card will let you in anyway as long as you wear the X or bracelet or whatever that says you're underage, but that can be easily fixed."

He pouted his lips a little, shifting as he leaned back in his chair. "Makes sense." He looked around. "So, I'm a bad schoolboy and don't know the protocol here," he admitted, laughing again. "Do you go for a girl first, or drinks?"

That earned him a knowing smile and a pat on the shoulder. Trent was a pretty patient dude, by the look on his face that showed he wasn't liking this training session. Or, at least, from what Lucas saw. "First," he said, slowly. Lucas nodded, though his face was breaking out in a smile that killed any seriousness. "Drop the word 'schoolboy' from your lexicon."

"But not the word 'lexicon'. Makes sense," he teased.

"Unless you're talking about some 3rd grader, then we have other problems to discuss."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, still smirking. "Of course, because mentioning younger people is uncool. And we all love peer-pressure. It's in." His eyes flashed, revealing he was teasing.

"Secondly--" Trent's shrug broke whatever remained of Lucas' concentration on seriousness, making him mimic the gesture unconsciously. "Just do what you want. Protocol's not all that tight. Just don't buy more drinks than you can pay for. That, my friend, is called suckage, AKA debt, and we want to avoid it."

Nodding, Lucas didn't say anything, just looked over at the bar. The idea of having alcohol was exciting. Anyway, he was just a year short of being legal. Why not? He hadn't been around anyone brave enough before. He was almost in his junior year of college... he should've had alcohol by now. It was kind of a rule, wasn't it?

"What about the brunette over there, with the blue-green stuff?" Trent gestured towards a nice-looking hot girl at the bar. Her jewelry looked a little cheap, but she carried it off pretty well. Sure, why not? "C'mon."

Honestly, he had no idea what he was doing, so he just got whatever Trent had. He figured that was a pretty good bet. Trent couldn't have been doing this for that long, right? Well, maybe, but... whatever. He didn't have any idea what else to do, so he leaned against the bar, drink in hand. He didn't really wanna sit down right now.

'It's a good thing there isn't a whole party of guys here. Otherwise I'd look like an idiot in front of all of them. Trent's being really nice, with me acting like a lost puppy and everything.'

"Hey, you're on your own. That's not how I roll," Trent said, making Lucas look up. He saw the slight tilt of Trent's lips, and the little laugh in his voice, so he knew it was a joke, but... he wasn't so sure about the 'on your own' thing. Trent gestured towards the brunette he'd pointed out earlier.

'I really don't wanna walk up to her and start the whole 'uuuh' thing and act like a nerd though... I mean, how conversational can you be in a club? I don't know...'

"Yes or no?"

"Not so nice," Lucas laughed, looking down at his drink. Taking a drink, he laughed at the way it burned, shaking his head. "Yeah, totally envy people that drink this all the time." He shook his head, feeling his brain slow down a little -- but maybe that was just him thinking it was -- , then shrugged. "Yes, then. Just don't sit over here and laugh at me, smart guy."

Going over to her, he got a full-lipped smile and one thin eyebrow raised. It was only a matter of minutes before he got a royal brush-off and a girl pulled her away, even though he'd been handling it better than he'd expected to. Sighing, he took another swig of his violent drink, leaning on the bar near where she'd retreated.

Looking over at Trent with a bit of a defeated smile, he shrugged, his face saying 'now what?' because he wasn't sure if that was 'cool' or not. Oh well. Maybe Trent would get it.

'The girls here smell fear. Or at least their friends do.'