(no subject)

[takecourage]

Alex is...not wasted, not quite, but she's on her way there. She's been drinking methodically for an hour, now, sticking to tequila. After she'd walked out of their apartment, she'd crossed town to the other apartment where she'd taken a shower and gotten changed, and then she'd gone walking, greys following in her wake.

She ended up in a bar she likes, ordering one tequila after the other.
More than anything, right now, she just wants to fuck everything up beyond saving.

Comments

[scarequotesreggie]

Reggie is not wasted, not quite, and while he's not really intending to find his way there tonight, his intentions haven't amounted to much of anything lately. They've been pretty hard to find in general, really, and if that's not cause enough to drink, than what is?

It's questionable logic, but it's what he's relying on for the time being, since even he can tell that finding another bar after getting kicked out of the last one for nearly starting a riot probably isn't the best of ideas. Alcoholic slushes, rigged dice, and some sort of biker gang don't mix, lesson learned, he almost got eaten by worm monsters two weeks ago, who even cares.

"Heeeeey!" Reggie calls loudly in greeting when he spots Alex, sliding into a seat next to her and snapping his fingers until he gets the attention of someone who'll serve him. "What's shaking?"

[takecourage]

"Not a lot," says Alex, draining the rest of her drink and gesturing to the bartender for another. She glances across at Reggie, leaning her weight on her ebows on the bar. "Just drowning my sorrows. What about you?"

[scarequotesreggie]

"Drowning my..." Reggie starts, trailing off a bit as he directs the bartender to make it two, but genuinely thinking about his answer in the process. "Apathies? Yeah, let's go with that."

[takecourage]

"Sounds like a plan," says Alex, pushing one hand back through her straight black hair as she turns a little to look at him. "Anything good happen since I last saw you? Girlfriend turn up yet?"

[scarequotesreggie]

"Nope!" Reggie replies with a far-too-bright smile. "Everything's still terrible and I've decided not to care!" It's only partially a lie, but even he's not entirely sure which part.

[takecourage]

The bartender sets two drinks down in front of them and Alex picks up hers, raising it in a lazy toast.

"Sounds good to me," she says. "Here's to not fucking caring." She knocks a swallow of her drink back. "You want to dance with me, Reggie?"

[scarequotesreggie]

"I-" Reggie begins, having a drink of his own and slamming the glass down before continuing, very deliberately, "-would love to dance, as any true gentleman would."

He doesn't know what sorrows she's trying to drown, and he doesn't really know how to ask, so he's more than happy to help in other ways.

[takecourage]

"Fucking A," says Alex, standing up. She's wearing her combat boots so she's steady on her feet and she'd dug the dress that she's wearing out of the closet at Darlington's old place - a sheath similar to the one that she'd worn when she'd dressed as Mab, black jersey that leaves her shoulders bare, her tattoos black against pale skin.

She holds her hand out to him.

[scarequotesreggie]

He takes her hand with a laugh, pleased that his night has started looking up so quickly as he pretends to use her as leverage to pull himself up to stand. What a difference a friend can make, right?

"Let's rock and roll. Or... whatever the hell they're playing."

[takecourage]

"I don't give a fuck." What they're playing is something heavy, full of bass, like something she'd dance to at the club. It's definitely somethign that she thinks that she can get behind. Once they get onto the floor, she curls her arm around his neck, pulling him in close against her.

[scarequotesreggie]

"Fair enough," Reggie chuckles, and while he's caught briefly off guard by the sudden closeness, it's only natural to slide his hands down her back and let the music take over.

[takecourage]

She shouldn't lean into the touch, she knows, but his hands feel good and her hips pick up the thumping bass of the music as they start to dance.

It feels good and she just lets it happen.

[scarequotesreggie]

It doesn't feel quite right, or at least it feels like it shouldn't feel quite right, but it's an easy way to turn off the pointless dwelling for four minutes or so at a time, so Reggie goes with it, letting the music command his body and his body command everything else. It's just dancing, right? And if he's really good, he can close his eyes and pretend he's back in Atlanta, not an attachment in the world and surprisingly miserable for it, but able to get them all back in a heartbeat if he really wanted to.

[takecourage]

Her arms curled around his neck, Alex leans in until her mouth is close to his ear.

"I ever tell you what I do for a living?" She says, flat beast sliding and shifting, testing the air, wanting the world to burn.

[scarequotesreggie]

"I... don't think it's come up, no," Reggie replies, distracted but curious. He always kind of just assumed she was a bartender or something, though now that he thinks about it, he's not sure why. For all he knows, she's a neurosurgeon.

[takecourage]

"I dance," she says. It feels good, dancing so close to him, letting it be the distraction that she needs in that moment. She leans in closer, her tits pushing against his chest. "Strip."

[scarequotesreggie]

"Oh," is all Reggie says at first, fingers digging into her skin ever so slightly, keeping her close when she leans in almost involuntarily, because she says that and he's suddenly very distracted by the sight of her tattoos and the way they disappear beneath her dress.

"That's, uh... whatever pays the bills, right?"

[takecourage]

"Damn straight," she says, the tightening of his hands on her setting something throbbing low in her core. She should take a step back from the edge, and she knows it. She does.

"You want to get out of here with me, Reggie? Bet you'd enjoy a private show..."

[scarequotesreggie]

That does indeed sound like something pretty objectively enjoyable to Reggie, even as belated warning bells start going off in his head, letting him know that he should maybe be thinking a little harder about what's happening here than he currently is. Maybe if he makes a game out of seeing how far he can justify things to himself, that will somehow make it alright. From drinks with a friend, to dancing with a friend, to... a friend sharing her professional talents with him, where's the harm in any of that? Just as soon as he can't find any more justifications, then he can hit the brakes to figure out what he's doing, no harm done.

"Yeah... okay," he answers, nodding slowly. "That could be fun. Assuming you're any good, I mean."

[takecourage]

More than anything, Alex is finding, she just wants to stop thinking for a while. She wants to feel something other than fucking empty. Reggie is good looking and she thinks he's at least a little into her. It's a start.

She pulls away, but only so that she can take his hand and start leading him out, snagging her jacket on the way past.

"Depends," she says. "How do you tip?"

[scarequotesreggie]

"Oh, terribly," Reggie cheerfully replies, letting her lead him away from needing to make any further decisions for the time being. "I'm a real miser, total cheapskate."

[takecourage]

"Pity," says Alex. She pulls away from him once they hit the night air, but only for along enough to tug on her jacket. Then she's reaching for his hand again. "Maybe I'll just give you the budget version?"

[scarequotesreggie]

"And what does that entail?" Reggie laughs, loudly enough to distract from how easy it is to wrap his fingers around hers.

[takecourage]

"Guess you'll have to wait and see," she says, squeezing his hand as they start to walk. It doesn't seem to be any time at all before they're at Dimera, waiting for an elevator.