[R] After Hours [Ever x Ari]

[and be blue]

Ever had come here because, unlike many others, this club wasn't one he'd ever used as hunting grounds. Too-loud and too-bright, his intention had been to force himself toward something like normalcy, to struggle to regain the easy of daily life -- except the second he came through the doors, he realized that it was too bright, too loud, and there were too many people laughing at stupid jokes and the fact that he was cranky in a club made him all the more cranky with himself.

He forced himself to move inward, his mouth still pressed into a straight line, the left side of his face still showing ugly purple and green and yellow. He was pale, and it made the bruising stark, made the shadows around his left eye look that much deeper and nastier. Ever'd made at least some attempt at dressing up nice, tossing on his wrinkled-but-serviceable vest and crookedly tying a tie, but despite his best efforts, the bartender summed up his appearance rather neatly:

"You look like s**t. Need a drink?"

And, well, yes, he did. Very much so. Ever was willing to shoulder his way in with a nod, slap money onto the counter, and get his hands on something strong and clear. His first sip was too much and too fast and that was just perfect. He closed his eyes and settled in against the bar, just for a moment.  

[kalindara]

Against her better judgement, Ari was letting Tom force her out of the house. Roughly a week had passed since she'd shown up on his doorstep, still sufferring the effects of Ares' princess-level smoke attack. A break from senshi activity had been wise. But, Tom had pointed out, now it was just flat-out hiding. Ari had still thought hiding was a great course of action, but when even your high-libidoed boyfriend thought you needed to get out of the house... well...

So she let Tom drab her to another club. At least it was heavily populated. With the music set to 'deafen' and the lights set to 'epileptic seizures', at least she wasn't so easy to spot as she would be out on the streets. Not that this sort of place seemed like Ares' scene at all. Ari thought she might be safe enough. That didn't stop her from refusing a number of drink offers as she waited at the bar, though. Drunk was not a smart move right now. Instead she ordered some variety of mocktail and sat down to wait for her errant boyfriend - chatting with the bouncer, a friend of his.

'He had better not be chatting up the bouncer,' she thought with a scowl. Ari wasn't the jealous type - most nights she didn't mind Tom's natural flirting because she knew exactly who was going home with him. But they'd only just arrived and she didn't want someone trying to butt in all night long.

Trying to convince herself whatever was taking Tom so long was just simple catching up (or ducking the entry fee, again), Ari rested her chin in her hand and stared at the other bar patrons. Spying a familiar face directly to her right, she had to chuckle.

"We have to stop meeting like this," she said to Ever. "People might start to think we're alcoholics."  

[and be blue]

He'd still been fighting down his body's instinctive reaction to 'strong alcohol slithering down throat', struggling not to cough or to lose his cool in front of -- what, strangers? It would have been embarrassing anyway, in front of strangers, but as a somewhat familiar voice cut through his hating-the-world indifference to people around him...well, people he knew would be worse. Even if, at this moment, he couldn't quite remember her name.

Had she ever given her name?

He pulled a face in reply to his teasing, licking the corner of his mouth and rattling ice in his glass. Ever looked less -- carefree than he had before. Someone might have said 'more responsible, but he would have objected. Fingers instinctively went toward the not-quite-healed mess of his face, and he forced them away before the nervous gesture could be completed.

"I wonder myself, sometimes." His attention strayed down to her drink, though, and he rummaged for a smile. "..that hardly looks like it could be considered drinking, though."  

[kalindara]

"Ah, no," Ari gave a self-depreciating smile as she looked down at her colourful - but liquor-free - drink. "Binge drinking after one personal crisis was enough for me. This time I'm staying sober."

Which was not to say she'd never be drinking again. As soon as her life wasn't in mortal danger from a vengeful former-Captain, Ari's clubbing weekends would be back to their regular schedule. But for now, she was playing it safe.

"Speaking of crises, though, you look like you're trying to drink your way out of one," Ari said, staring at the white-haired man. Maybe she was wrong. They'd only met the once, but Ever had seemed much more cheerful that night, like he lived without a care in the world. She offered, "Friendly ear if you need it?"

A few gulps of her mocktail (and another scan of the doorway) later, Ari eyed her companion sideways. "It was... Evan, right? Ethan?" Something like that. They'd exchanged names, but they'd also both been doing their best to get plastered that night.  

[and be blue]

"Ever." And he did look like s**t, yes, but that didn't necessarily mean he liked hearing it. He pulled a face at her, fingertips lifting to the smudges around his eyes, not all of it from the blow he'd taken to the face. Ever hadn't been sleeping well, and that exaggerated things, had a tendency to make them worse. Made him look, god help him, older.

His hand dropped back to the cup on the edge of the bar, sweeping his drink into a cradling grip. He was going to nurse this vodka tonic and then work onto another, probably, and damn the consequences. He was, at least, out.

"...if it helps, though, I'm not even going to try. The only thing I can remember about you is that you dance, and I can't even remember if it's well or terribly." His smile was brief, before he went for another healthy swallow.  

[endejester]

“Leave you alone for a few minutes and you find company!” Called a warm smoke edged voice through the press of the crowd, hard to miss him with the white hair and shirt that clung to a rather well put together young man. Even here indoors he wore a pair of small blue tinted shades, they were at least pushed down his nose enough that he could peer over them, he let his gaze drift over ever like he were part of a grand buffet even as he let his hands wander over Ari’s shoulders.

“Tom” He said offering his other hand to Ever for a firm but not crushing shake, it was a thoughtless firm not a ‘look I’m male’ one at least.  

[kalindara]

"Ever," Ari repeated. Yeah, she wouldn't have gotten that on her own. Unusual name. Catchy, though. She liked it. "I'm Ari." There was definitely no way she would have given her full name when drunk. Chances are she wouldn't have managed to pronounce it, even if she could stand the full version (which she couldn't).

She had to laugh. "God, I hope it was well. I guess it depends on how far gone I was." She'd been trying pretty hard that night, too. At least Ever couldn't remember - if she had been terrible, no one would ever know.

"Leave you alone for a few minutes and you find company!" a familiar voice complained.

Ari smiled, leaning against the bar as she twisted to face her boyfriend. "Maybe you shouldn't leave me alone, then." Tom introduced himself, not appearing the least bit jealous or worried, despite his opening remark. They weren't really that kind of couple, clingy or possessive. ...That, or they were possessive enough to know that there was no way that the other was going home with anyone but them. But in either case, Tom's flirting had never bothered Ari, and Ari's dancing (and subsequent suitors) had never bothered Tom.

"This is Ever," she said. "He kept me company one night that time I spent almost an entire week drunk." One eyebrow quirked, a silent you know, senshi crap. Well, it was always senshi crap of some description, wasn't it. At least Ever didn't have that problem, she thought.  

[and be blue]

Tom was enough of a flirt to leave Ever flustered but -- mostly just because Ari was right there, because he remembered now that the girl had a boyfriend. Boyfriend with white hair like his own; they'd talked about that, hadn't they...?

His reach for Tom's hand was an instinctive one, and he thanked his father for all that training. Instead of having to think about it, Ever automatically eased into a comfortable handshake, well-practiced, even as he blinked owlishly at Tom's face. Why did he smell good...?

"...uh. Drunk for a week?" He forced himself to focus back onto Ari, blinking a bit. "That sounds pretty good, right about now."  

[endejester]

Tom laughed at the idea of ‘Drunk for a week’ Apparently it tickled him enormously. “We could do that!” He grinned and turned his wide smile to Ari before stooping to kiss her neck utterly unashamed of the display or any of the eyes that turned for a moment to watch. “You’re adorable with a hangover…” He teased her and flagged down the bar tender for something to drink before turning that warm and flirty gaze back to Ever.

“So, were you guys going to get to know each other better?” He lifted his eyebrows with a Cheshire smile before he laughed. “Is he a good dancer?”  

[kalindara]

"It was a very bad week," Ari nodded, not quite hiding a wince. Sadly, not the worst she'd had, but at least that time had taught her better than to try drowning her later problems in alcohol.

The wince intensified as Tom mentioned her hangover. "Nooooo," she groaned. Yet another reason not to try that again. Mornings had been evil. After a week of waking up wanting to die, Ari had finally sworn off getting that drunk ever again. (Though like all her New Year's Resolutions, it may not last all that long.)

Ari laughed as Tom turned the conversation back to flirting. She had a vague recollection that Ever had been good on the dance floor. Of course, she also thought she had been, too, but like Ever had said that could be the alcohol talking. "I think so? But I could be wrong. We'll have to test it out to be sure."  

[and be blue]

"...um." He was thrown askew, briefly, by the look Tom gave him. Ever'd never really lacked for confidence, mostly due to a lack of pride: he knew he was kind of funny looking, with his too-big nose and limbs that all seemed too long, too gawky, too skinny. His hair was unruly. Tom, though, with his flirting, made him self-conscious about it. He absently curled fingers up through his hair, focusing on Ari for the moment.

"If I was a good dancer, than you must have been very drunk." His thumb brushed up against the bruising on his cheek and he remembered, wincing, just how bad he looked. Worse than usual. Great.

"Or maybe I was." With that, he lifted his glass to down another healthy gulp, working toward the bottom. Sounded like a good place to be, right about now.  

[endejester]

“Only one solution to that!” Tom said and leaned on the bar to flag down the bar keep and ordered them each a drink, he even flirted a little with the bar keep though apparently they saw him coming just as much as Ari did.
He slid the drinks towards each of you before picking up his own and offering a toast. “Bottom’s up?” He grinned. “To good dancing and whatever it takes? To good scraps and good times.” He nodded.

“Been a bit since I had a good tussle!” He said and bobbed the glass towards Ever’s bruise looking impressed and interested rather that put off. “You should work with me on your stuff later!” He declared suddenly leaning a shoulder into Ari with a grin.  

[kalindara]

"Probably both of us," Ari agreed cheerfully with Ever. "We can always test it out again later tonight." She really hoped they hadn't made a spectacle of themselves last time. Half her other drunken antics of that week were hard enough to live down - she didn't need to add more to the list of 'things I really, really regret doing'.

So when Tom handed her a drink, Ari only sipped at it. No sense matching the boys drink for drink when they (or at least Ever) seemed to be aiming for 'drunk'. Leaning back against Tom, Ari rolled her eyes and teased, "Must you always be brawling?" It was good natured. It was also accompanied by a mischevious sparkle in her eyes. "I could take both of you."

A pause. A quick mental re-play. Ari's finger came up in Tom's face. "Not. A. Word. Gutter-mind."  

[and be blue]

Tom got a flicker of a smile -- brief, maybe a little bit puzzled, still, as to why he was getting the flirts, especially from a guy with a girlfriend. Tom wasn't drunk enough, yet. Given half an hour, it would seem much less strange.

"Should see the other guy." It was dry, muttered, utter bullshit. As far as he knew, he hadn't so much as landed a blow on anyone. Ever swiped a hand up through his hair, eyes landing on Ari, and almost choked on his drink both at her comment and the shushing gesture, coughing vodka into his wrist and reaching for a napkin to mop at his front.

"I'm not fighting either of you. Or the other thing." It relaxed him, though, oddly, instead of making him tense up. "...not tonight, anyway."  

[endejester]

“But there are SO many good words to be shared there!” Tom grinned and grabbed at her hand to kiss her fingers. “At least I think so, I love brawling, all kinds, you just gotta not mind a little give and take.” He waggled his eyebrows and leaned back if half-heartedly from any smacks the comment might result in.

“Ooo..” He showed a wide smile again. “Another night then.” He grinned and looked down at Ari with a throaty chuckle. “If he can dance anyhow… right?” there was a glitter in his eyes, easy going and relaxed like nothing in the world could shake him down from whatever kept his mood so high.