“Mom. I am not going to be home that early.” The girl was exasperated as she switched the ear the phone was on. “Look, I will be home around 9, OK?” Considering it was a hovering somewhere between five and six, that gave Chailee enough time to meet up with her friends later on for a bit. “Right. Yes, yes, I know. Ok. Yep, I love you too. Bye.” With a sigh she stopped in her lazy walk and pulled the phone from her ear and hit the screen to end the call.
Where the hell was she anyway? Chailee had been so involved in the call that she had absently just walked around. A quick glance around confirmed she was in a more richer art of Destiny City. Trees in full spring blossom lined the street with well polished cars alongside them. The sidewalk was even cobblestoned in areas to add a fancier look. It was an area she didn’t frequent often considering the shops and restaurants here tended to be a bit out of her price range, but her parents sometimes brought her here for dinner during special occasions. If she remember right there was an italian place somewhere around here that had the best chicken parmesan she’d ever had. That thought made her stomach growl.
If she was going to grab anything to eat she’d have to head over a few blocks. Maybe she’d get lucky and run into one of the food trucks. Some of them had amazing food! Especially the taco truck.
This isn't going to work.
Elex stared up at the building severely, his skin so tight it itched. The meat under his nails crawled with the urge to free itself, and the youth spent conscious effort on avoiding the transgressive spectacle of tearing through his glamour's second skin in public. Skin-picking urges manifested nonetheless, taunting him, urging him to display to the world the monster that was once Elex Yorke, and end this trite little venture. The excitement of such a venture lured him, temptation incarnate. He imagined in those ticking seconds the naked shock, the protest, the absolute fear so unbecoming of those who attended such socialized outings. But to do so now would be to get ahead of himself.
Murano remained the Ladies' Night destination for his mother's social circle. There, they discussed their women's society projects, accomplishments, troubles, and scandalous gossip that demanded attention from their sphere of influence. He knew well that his mother lamented his disappearance - Erol belied as much when Elex watched him last - and that she would not attend such an arrangement that night. He needed this opportunity, especially if it remained his only opportunity.
But, as he stood facing the rustic roman columns of the establishment, twined with ivy and framed by trellises, Elex knew he would draw far too much attention to himself. A teen sitting alone in a high-class restaurant demanded all eyes on him. Elex could not risk exposure - to do so would put far more strain on his mother's heart - but with his skin already begging for release from his frame, Elex knew not who he could summon forth to play dinner date with him. Desperation and reaching promises urged him on, however, and Elex's attention swept through the streets at once. He'd take anyone, he decided - anyone that might look socially bland with someone his age.
And he spotted someone at once. All cotton candy curls and New York hustle, the girl looked self-absorbed enough to miss a youma crossing her path. The irony was not lost on him, and a measure of effort was procured to hide his smirk before he stepped out in front of her. "Wait," he called to her, calling on the assumptive arrogance he gleaned from his upbringing. He wasted no time on arranging plausible, socially-acceptable excuses for his behavior. "I need your help. I'll make it worth your while - if you want free dinner, that is." Punctuating his quiet rasp of breath was a gesture toward the immaculate Murano sign.
The evening's bustle passed about them in full force; Elex worried not about being overheard. Crowds provided more anonymity, more privacy, than the starkest alleys.
If he hadn’t stepped out in front of her Chailee would have completely missed the boy calling out to her. She would have assumed it was another person being hailed as she wasn’t expecting anyone in this part of the city. His physical proximity forced her to turn her attention to him and halt in her steps just before running into him. Brows rose as she looked at him, green eyes wide that someone she had never seen before would stop her here.
“Wait...what?” He needed her help? She was confused for a moment as her brain caught up to the situation at hand. A boy, who looked around her own age, was randomly stopping her on the sidewalk of the ritzy part of Destiny City and offering her dinner for her assistance? OK. That computed.
Taking a step back so she wasn’t practically on top of him, Chailee tossed a cluster of frizzy curls over her shoulder. “I can’t say I’ve ever had this happen to me before.” She said with a small smile. It was the truth, a good looking boy had never asked her to dinner before...or well...offered it. “Um, so...what do you need help with?” She was a bit cautious but quite willing to lend a helping hand. After all, she had some time before meeting up with her friends and a meal at an upscale restaurant was certainly a better deal than hoping to find her favorite taco food truck.
“I mean, I’d definitely help if I actually can.” She said a bit dubiously. “But I am not really dressed for such a place.” She gestured down to her casual, mint colored sundress, denim jacket and strappy, brown flat sandals. Chailee certainly wasn’t terribly dressed but she had the very distinct feeling she’d look completely out of place in such a restaurant. “But sure, tell me what you need!”
She said tilted her head to the side slightly as she looked at him. Yep, he was cute! A little girlish blush crossed her cheeks.
'I can't say I've ever had this happen to me before.'
He smirked, albeit slightly. It's never happened to you before for a reason. Can you guess what it is, I wonder?
Elex turned from her at her inquest, and pointed up at the Murano sign. "It's an old restaurant and an old tradition. Every Wednesday, one of Destiny City's special social circles congregates to share their dirty laundry over tea and tiramisu. All the stories worth talking about are discussed in a place so saturated with people that privacy is just another guarantee.
"You see, no one ever enters this restaurant alone. Like putting your elbows on the table, it's simply not done. So if I walk in there, all alone, people will notice me. And they'll talk. And I can't have that happen.
"I need to know what those women are saying. The only way that's going to happen is with company - that's where you factor in. Sit with me, and you can order what you will. You'll sit in front of me and my back will be to the table in question." She could refuse, she could call him a manipulator, and it wouldn't matter - not with the person he was now. He knew this, yet he still felt a simmering fierceness over his reputation as Elex Yorke. He knew that, if he blew this, the circle would talk. And entering into Destiny City as he is now would alter irrevocably.
But she wouldn't talk, not with a blush like that. Even if she refused, she wouldn't talk.
Elex never thought he would've hoped for such wiles. "What do you say?" He asked of her, hands folding primly behind his back. He expected a yes.
Elex would have had better luck with persuading the bluenette had he gone and spun some sad sob story to pull at her heartstrings. And mind, his story and need did dig up a feeling of desire to help him but she also was put off some by why he needed someone to escort into the fancy restaurant. “Um…”
She bit her lower lip, green eyes darting to the ground near her feet as she pushed her hair behind an ear. “Why do you need to listen in on someone elses conversations?” She questioned him, her eyes lifting back to him. “That’s not exactly something that’s...well...nice.” She shrugged, realizing that her word choices made her come across as a child, but she was a bit baffled. Not to mention she was still blushing, if not as hard, at his sudden appearance and interest in asking her of all people to help him out.
“Look, I don’t mind helping you, but well...I don’t feel comfortable doing it if it’s going to cause problems for someone else. Why do you need to listen in on them?” though she worried at her lower lip, she was steeled in her question to him. The idea of being used towards something that may possibly not be a good thing wasn’t worth a free dinner in any restaurant no matter how fancy and expensive it might be. A trip to find the taco truck would suffice just as well.
“So, if you can answer that maybe...maybe I’ll help you. After all, I know it’s not fun to go to dinner by yourself and all.” She paused and looked at the the sign of ‘Muranos’. “I have to admit though, if a place requires someone to have, well….a date of sort, is it even worth it?” Of course, Chailee knew very little of the workings of the higher class and the expectations that were meant to be kept. She was a bit too much of a free spirit for her brain to wrap around such things.
Or perhaps her middle class upbringing was just a bit more liberal.
Elex snorted. Bitterness fit him well, seeped under the second skin nicely. He looked down on her with all the scorn bottled up from the days passed, from all the time spent stewing in the depths of the Negaverse. "'Nice' and 'necessary' don't always intersect." He tore his gaze from her blush to survey the rest of the crowd coming their way. Most looked middle-aged or older - and while he could pass some of them off as parents, the aged crowd grew wise to childish antics. They didn't have the heart of youth, who would ply time for eavesdropping when they knew they had so much to waste.
"You don't know what it's like to live in this kind of world," Elex answered matter-of-factly. "Everything's spoken in half-truths. After a while, money doesn't hold much value to the rich - but secrets always hold their worth. Trading secrets means moving up in the world. Spending them earns friends. And that hornet's nest in there is full of secrets." Even as he looked on toward the windows, he could make out their profiles through the meshed screen. There, they started to seat themselves by the window - their ever-present reservation - and set about with their appetizer orders while they waited for the perpetually late Ms. Stevenson. It's the same every time.
Like clockwork, they were a fixture around which the rest of the world could ground itself.
Finally he tore his gaze from the glass. She wanted more, but she wouldn't get much. "Something's going on with my mom. I need to know what it is. And if that means eavesdropping…" He snorted. "The road to perdition is paved with good intentions. But what about the opposite?" He let the question hang before he searched for a new ear with which to sound his plan. If she wanted to flounce, she could; he didn't have time to waste on convincing her.
In every crowd, there was someone willing to bend their morals to get ahead - and he still had the money for catching their eye.
Elex really wasn’t doing himself favors as he continued on about morals and such. Chailee was a girl who held her morals in high regard and stuck to them. “So you want a secret tha tyou’re not suppose to know about to use as collateral?” She raised a brow. “That doesn’t sound like something I really want to get involved in, sorry.” Chailee had made her decision and was ready to work her way around the boy when she noted his gaze had shifted from herself back into the restaurant.
There she saw the group of women being seated, but it was hard to discern them past the mesh covering on the window that worked to dilute the sun’s rays. She vaguely wondered how the women were dressed. Some looked like they may be in dresses of sorts while others perhaps….skirts or pants? It was near impossible to tell, but Chailee did wonder what women of high class wore to such places. Were they like some of the people she’d seen walking around this area? She really had no clue as Elex had discerned.
With a sigh she shook her head and moved to slip around Elex when he mentioned his mother and that gave her pause. She stood there for a moment, facing away from him as she digested what he said. Slowly, she turned back to look at him. “So you think something is going on with your mom and that eavesdropping will help you find out what?” She questioned him. “Why not just ask her yourself? I mean, that should be something you could do, right?” Her tone wasn’t condescending or rude in anyway, she was trying to get a grasp on what was going on. Her mother and she had such a good relationship that the idea of not being able to just ask her a question was a odd. Mind, she knew some of her school friends had issues with their parents and all, but it never really ever hit her how real those problems could be.
Turning to face him fully she scrunched up her nose as she tried to make up her mind. After all, this boy, was coming across as full of himself but….if she could maybe help him with his mom? Wouldn’t that be a good thing? “Ok, look. As long as you promise you aren’t looking for information to hurt someone and you’re really just trying to figure out something about you mom then....I guess it’s alright.” She fidgeted with smoothing her dress down knowing full well that she was probably not well dressed for this little adventure.
She jumped to conclusions immediately upon hearing his explanation and Elex could only find it within himself to laugh. If she wanted to assume the worst of him, what did it matter? If she saw his real face, any attempts otherwise would only damn him further. Destiny City lives off of secrets. Uncontrollable secrets. Who would be made the greater fool for chasing after them now?
Elex did not look at her immediately when she asked her next questions. Impatience and urgency wore at him to simple walk in and deal with the stir caused by stares, by immediate recognition. Half the women in the social circle spent enough time at their house that they would recognize Elex Yorke on sight. "My mother is a proud woman. She's held her head high through her mother's funeral and held my father's hand while he was the one crying over the casket. If something's going on with her, she protects it with a fierceness you couldn't know. That's how she is. That's how she always was.
"And she holds her family above all else. Family is her crown and kingdom and she'll stop at nothing to seal it away from any hurts. If something eats away at her, she'll never tell either of us - and no discussion will change her mind.
"I know they know what's bothering her, and I'm going to find out - whether that's with you, or with the next person waiting in line for a free meal. Anything else they have to say is of no consequence to me." Finally he looked upon her, in her pink and blue curls and her attire so utterly mismatched for the occasion - but he didn't care. He couldn't care. Perhaps dragging someone so unfit for the locale might bring about some interest in the stuffy old place. All those shoddy traditions wore on for far too long. He might even find some delight in the scandalized comments.
She acquiesced, and some of the tension left his shoulders. While he kept his arms crossed, he reached for the door to hold it ajar for her entry. "Just act like we know each other. You don't need to make anything of it."
With how Elex portrayed his mother, Chailee had to admit she sounded like a wonderful woman. She sounded like a mother lioness just trying to protect her brood and that made the teen smile. There was nothing more vicious than a mama with her babies. “She sound like a nice woman.” She remarked pleasantly. “And I think I understand a bit more with what you want to do.”
As Elex moved to open the door , Chailee followed and slipped past him to enter into the building. It was then, as she gazed around, that she realized how poorly dressed for was for such a place. Immediately she felt a bit awkward and out of place and turned to make sure Elex was behind her. She hadn’t realized how much out of her element she was in such a place and as a few eyes cast over her as if studying her, Chailee began to wonder if maybe she had made a poor choice. Surely Elex could have found someone else to help him, someone better suited to such things?
A woman dressed in fine black pants, white shirt, and a black pin striped vest welcomed the two teens. She seemed to give Chailee a head to toe look over before turning to glance at Elex who looked better suited for such events. “Table for two?” She questioned, obviously pointing her question at Elex and not the mismatched, Chailee.
Chailee, obviously didn’t get that hint. “For two please.” The woman looked at her and Chailee offered a smile before glancing over at Elex, realizing that maybe she should have let him say something since he probably needed to be seated in a specific location. “Um...I think?” She said as she gave the dark haired teen a questioning look.
Elex remained relatively silent and relatively formal as they entered the establishment. His own dressing habits spoke of London trends with too much money to waste, and thus matched well with the surrounding mesh of styles. Chailee, unfortunately, played no great show of confidence in her own attire, thus singling her out to the discerning audience as one who did not belong. For this, he stepped closer to her, and waited until the waiter paid them no great heed. "Be confident. They'll start thinking you're starting a new trend. The more you falter, the more they'll suspect."
The waiter guided them quickly, already determining how little he would be tipped for his service and making good on his own suppositions. Near the middle of the room, two chairs sat at a small table while surrounded by the less appealing customers - women with newborns, and the business suits that spent beyond their means. Just as the waiter paused to pull forth a chair for Chailee, Elex spoke up. "She prefers a booth by the window." He looked to the waiter expectantly.
"I apologize; we have no other available tables." He waited for Chailee to claim her seat, but Elex knew a good measure of abusing rich privilege.
"There's no one sitting at that one over there." He gave a nod. "Send one of your bus boys. We'll wait." He remained standing where he was, knowing full well that the waiter's manager frowned upon idle guests. A begrudging agreement left them loitering a full minute longer while the bus boy hastily swept away all evidence of prior consumption. The leather seating to the booth itself still shined with disinfectant when the waiter guided them over. After placing menus, he excused himself from the pair.
Elex stepped in to accept her sweater from her, his hands touching lightly to the open collar and sweeping her hair back with its removal. Afterward, the sweater hung on one of the proffered hooks mounted to the side of the booth. The uproarious laughter from the table behind them promised no discovery of his being. "Have a seat. I'm sure we're in for quite an evening."
Suspect? Suspect what? Was there something more to this than just being a dinner partner? Well whatever it was she was knee deep into it with no way out besides letting Elex down so she was going to have to suck it up and do what he said. Maybe look at it as a game! Like she was some famous actress putting on a show or something or the sort. OH! Or maybe like some kind of undercover detective. Nodding to Elex she tried to readjust herself, look more like she belonged, like she wasn’t just some typical high school student who definitely wasn’t out of her league. “It’s kind of overwhelming.” She remarked back but smiled at the waiter when he turned back to them.
Following to the table she moved to sit down in the offered chair when Elex spoke up about a booth. She stopped mid action and glanced from Elex to the waiter who insisted there was no where else. But, it seemed, Elex knew what he wanted and was not going to take no for an answer as he asserted himself in the situation. Meanwhile she stood there awkwardly, only catching herself when the waiter finally moved to do as Elex wanted. Clearing her throat she again made to hold herself taller, more confidently as they waited. Thankfully it wasn’t long and they were led to the freshly cleansed booth.
One thing she had not at all expected was Elex stepping in to help her remove her sweater. Instantly a red blush formed again on her cheeks as she made herself comfortable in the booth with more haste than was most likely proper. Thank goodness for the laughter. It helped break the the almost suffocating sensations she got from the restaurant. “Right. So, um...is your Mother here already?” She questioned in as hush of a tone as she dare so her dinner partner could hear her. “I mean, I guess we’re close to them right? That’s why you wanted this booth?” She glanced around trying to see if she could pinpoint who might be the dark haired boys mother but was gaining no ground in her search considering the limited view the booth gave.
Unable to deduce the woman who was Elex’s mother, assuming she was already there, Chailee turned her attention to the menu in front of her. She had no idea what she was going to find when she opened the small book with fancy script font and golden edges, but she had not expected the prices she found and immediately found herself afraid to even touch the menu let alone contemplate what to order. Her face, she was sure clearly showed her shock. “Are you sure about this?” She questioned him as she let the menu sit in front of her, her hands having retreated to her lap.
Elex seated himself with no further mention of the sweater incident, as it were. He did, however, note the brilliant red that contrasted sharply with her hair. Had she never felt someone remove her jacket for her before? How curious; he wondered what else he might've taken for granted that she never experienced. Though, he couldn't spare the time to delve into the details -- not anymore.
"She won't be attending," he answered matter-of-factly as he pulled a palm pad from the depths of his own jacket. Flipping to a new page, he readied his pen over the paper and first marked it with the date. "I mentioned she's quite proud. She so proud that she would sooner lock herself away than shed a tear in front of the sharks she calls friends.
"But they'll talk about her. They always will. They seize on anything defenseless."
He readied himself for writing when she stole his attention away once more. Frustration crossed his features only briefly until he realized the reasoning behind her small outburst. Irritation segued to amusement as he smiled faintly, surprised at both himself for not anticipating such a reaction and at her for feeling so… What? Indebted? Frugal? No… Something else lingered there in her apprehension. Was it embarrassment? Disdain? He couldn't tell, and for that, he shifted his attention from the cacophony behind him. You're not used to this. "I'm very sure," he conceded, sitting back with his hands laced together. "If you're having second thoughts, order a bottle of wine. Cause a scene. Pretend to vomit. They'll have you out in a minute. Then you won't have to think about spending a stranger's money.
"If it wasn't you, there'd be someone else in your place. The world's not short on opportunistic volunteers, is it?" He paused in his discourse then, listening to the tones die down behind him. They were starting their discussion with the late arrival of Ms. Stevenson. Elex knew he needed to balance his attention soon.
"If you can read Italian, order what you like. If you can't, ask the waiter what he recommends for appetizer and main course and order two of each. If he's still treating you like you don't belong, send the food back - even if it's good." He paused then, and looked to her in scrutiny. She most certainly felt uncomfortable; how long until she needed more reassurance, or until she chose to break from the scene altogether? Maybe she'd surprise him still.
Wouldn't that be a fine turn of events?
So she wouldn’t be seeing the woman they were here to collect information on. Chailee found herself feeling a bit disappointed but also saddened that the woman couldn’t even open herself up to friends. What sort of life was that? The teen couldn’t even fathom not having trustworthy friends that she could pour her heart out to if need be. Wasn’t that the point of having friends? For you to support them and vice versa when the dark clouds in our lives made an appearance? Sure, they were there to have fun on those good days too, but real friends supported you at all points in your life. “That’s...that’s terrible.” She remarked at the comment about the defenseless and shook her head.
If anything, she felt more bolstered to try and help Elex out now. Which meant she needed to make sure she didn’t at least stick out like a sore thumb. If she could manage that it should all be fine.
“ I am not having second thoughts.” She said with determination. “I was just….taken back.” Which was a nice way to say she hadn’t expected to be thrust into such a situation that was so far out of her realm of comfort that she felt like she was a floundering fish upon dry land.
His next comment had her brows knitting together slightly as she nearly huffed. “I am not here because I just want dinner.” She remarked. “It’s not…” She stopped and decided to rephrase her wording for fear of insulting him. “I want to be here to help you and your mom. We could be in a cheap pizza diner for all I cared right now.” Chailee was certain of herself in that regard.
At the mention of reading Italian Chailee shook her head and sighed. It seemed she’d be forced to do the ordering and the ordering would come down to whatever the waiter said was good. In truth it wasn’t a difficult thing to do even if it made her feel inadequate to be there with such a boy as Elex. It was really like she stepped into a whole new world that was secretly hiding amongst her own. But, when the waiter finally arrived she did as Elex has said. “I can’t seem to make up my mind about the main dish.” She said brightly with a smile at the waiter. “What would you suggest?”
The waiter didn’t falter with her question. As if he was asked such a question multiple times her day he quickly listed off the items on the menu he would suggest. “I would suggest the Ossobuco. The meat is is quite succulent and well plated.” He didn’t go any further to describe the entree so Chailee was left guessing what it even was.
“Alright, then we’ll have 2 of the bruschetta and the Ossobuco. Oh, and two glasses of water please. ” She prayed she hadn’t butchered the name of the entree as she said it but the waiter nodded and smiled before relieving the two of them of their menu’s and leaving them. Thankfully she knew what at least one of the food items she ordered was. The Bruschetta was the only thing she had recognized on the menu and she knew she liked it.
She vaguely wondered if Elex had actually wanted wine. But, that had to have been a joke considering that neither of them were old enough for alcohol. Oh well, they’d have water and if he wanted anything else he could flag down the waiter.
“So, which group is it that we are listening to?” She questioned her dinner partner now that the waiter was well out of earshot.
Elex watched her a moment, amused. "No, it's not the food," he conceded. He never meant to imply that it was; had it been so long since he talked to a normal stranger that he couldn't speak for himself anymore? No, she must've misunderstood. "But I'm asking you to do something you normally wouldn't do. I'm spending money on you that you wouldn't spend on yourself. It violates your principles. It butts up against your morals, doesn't it? It's easy to get shaken in a place like this when you know you don't belong. But when you feel the pressure of the universe on you like that, where you're second-guessing yourself… Isn't it easier when you remember it's not about you?" He paused then, his teeth on the edge of another word. "No, forget it." He brought the cloth napkin to his lips out of a dying habit.
The waiter came with intent to jot down their orders, which bailed Elex from his social misstep. Soon the napkin found his lap once again, and his gaze cast from the slowly-strengthening performance of the stranger to the listening ear of the waiter. Soon he left once again, with a motion to the bus boy to bring forth the waters. Perhaps in the waiter's quick move to dismiss them, the normally-manditory serving of water was forgotten. Unsurprising, and yet in its own way, entertaining. Here he was a stranger, with no reputation attached, and he faced all the flagrant dismissals of his person that his latest conversation partner must endure on the daily.
With his leave, Elex looked to her as she asked her next question. Luckily for him, she asked with a low enough tone that the surrounding tables would not hear of it. Elex plucked his ball point pen from its pad and gestured behind him with its tip. He pointed toward the source of some boisterous noise as the gathering of mothers and younger women grew more lax with one another. One particular voice stood out among the rest, that of Ms. Beauregarde, which Elex recognized instantly. She would know his face if she found a moment to see it, and for that, he sat with his back to their party. And in due time, not minutes after the arrival of their waters, the gossip started to spring.
"… A new text message." The woman paused, while the others continued on about the latest purse worn by Ms. Stevenson and its lavish amount of buckles. "Oh, Anna won't be joining us today. It's such a pity! She could use a night on the town, wouldn't you think? It'd certainly take her mind off what happened."
Another, younger voice piped up. "Did something happen to her?"
And in answer, the most boisterous of all: "Oh, child, do learn to pick up the news once in a while! Her youngest went missing, right out of his own bed! The good woman's been stricken with grief ever since, and she should be, if I have anything to say about it! Letting your own son disappear from straight out under your nose… Really, it's a surprise that she didn't fire all the servants and send half the police force out looking for him. I hear there's not been hide or hair of him in weeks. It's a wonder she hasn't come out of her shell by now and turned to us for proper guidance."
Elex smirked to himself, and shook his head at the pompous declarations by Ms. Beauregarde. He penned down what he could nonetheless, his rare display of shorthand an anachronism in such a young boy. In turning the page, he scribbled out what he could while keeping time with the conversation. The flowering script suggested an old method of teaching cursive, and enough practice that he could execute the words quickly. Anna Yorke is my mother.
We haven't been acquainted. My name is Erol. May I ask yours?
Kolina
please do not feel pressured to tag this! i am only posting it up now to keep my timeline straight~
