The Loud's Padawan

3»» Masterly is now known as Lucian
<@zoofman> Later on that evening, after you've gone back to the Pokecenter and gotten some time to check out your suite, someone starts knocking on your door.
»» Lucian sinks into his bed just as the door starts rapping and has to will himself onto his feet in order to answer it. He
<Lucian> He's disheveled in appearance and tired but opens the door with as much good cheer as he can muster after a long day.
<@zoofman> Standing on the other side is Alex!  She's still wearing a track jacket and jeans, herself, and looking from left to right in the hallway.  "Hey, um, do you have a moment to talk?"
»» Lucian looks confused, poking his head out wondering if this is some kind of elaborate prank. "Uh, if it's for you, I can make time sure."
»» Lucian stands back and opens the door wider, "Come on in."
<@zoofman> She walks in and waits until you close the door, then pushes you against it, leans in and kisses you.  She then takes a step back, folds her arms and looks at you expectantly as her cheeks start to slowly take on a red tint.
»» Lucian blinks, mind racing to remember what exactly he's done to bring this about. "Th-thanks, how about...we sit down and...talk about what this means." He puts his arms on her shoulders and towards the bed, but then thinks better of it and pivots her away and toward the desk chair instead.
<@zoofman> She sits down in the desk chair and crosses her legs as she spins it toward you.  "What, you didn't think I'd do it?"
<Lucian> "I'm a little bit confused about what what exactly 'it' is, to be honest."
<Lucian> "I thought you had a thing for, you know, Lawrence."
<@zoofman> She blinks a few times as her expression goes from embarassment to pure confusion.  "What?  Was this all part of some elaborate joke of yours after all?  Cause this really isn't funny, Lucian."
»» Lucian tries to think back to anything he might have said to her but comes up dry. Rather than express his confusion however, he gets up and wraps his arms around her in a bid to buy some time. Highlight was behind this for sure. He had to be.
»» Lucian looks around warily, covering the girl with his arms as he peers around the room suspiciously. Was the man watching even now?
<Lucian> Why else would he bring up the Serabi family back then?
»» Lucian strokes her hair and whispers, "When you received contact from me...back then, how did you feel? About what was said? You weren't...made uncomfortable were you?"
<@zoofman> She tenses up when you do this, but her mood swings back to embarassment.  "What the - of course it was weird!  I don't get why are so...weird about all this.  Or I think I know why. I don't really -know- what to think of it."
<@zoofman> Lucian, you notice your phone sitting on the bedstand, beeping.  Looks like you got a new text message.
<Lucian> "Well guys ge-Hold that thought."
»» Lucian gets up to check the mail.
<@zoofman> It's Sue!  She's asking what time you'd want to get dinner tomorrow.  Oh and you also notice your latest text exchange with Alex is one you don't remember sending.  Time Stamp is like 10 minutes after you won that wet t shirt contest.
»» Lucian ignores Sue's text for the time being and scrolls down to check the correspondence with Highlight.
<@zoofman> The only text you have from Highlight is that one he sent you about you being RUDE, and it was WAY after this one with Alex happened.
»» Lucian checks the Alex text chain then.
<@zoofman> http://pastebin.com/TJ37dWUc
<@zoofman> Alex herself is composing herself after the hug and head stroking, so you have a moment to catch up on this
<Lucian> For a moment Lucian wonders how exactly Highlight was able to enter a timeslip in order to send this message but then the rational part of his brain kicks in and reminds him that he was /really/ drunk at the time and something like this was bound to happen as a result.
»» Lucian stares back at Alex but memories of the Sue on the beach come to mind and he has to turn away from the eager look on the girl's face.
<Lucian> He takes a moment to compose himself, but when the calming breaths turn into hyperventilation, he slaps himself across the face instead.
<@zoofman> "I get what you were doing, you wouldn't be the first - but back in school it was always because of some dumb bet between guys, cause I was a girl in a "man"'s sport," she starts monolouging while you got your back to her.
<Lucian> He makes his way back to Alex and softly kisses her on the forehead and gets onto his knee. He takes her hands into his own and looks at her sincerely, ignoring the stinging welt on the side of his face. "Don't say that about yourself."
<@zoofman> Well the slapping yourself and your current stance is a little offputting to her, not to mention the forehead kiss.  "You were trying to get me to say I like you, weren't you?  Because you were too scared to say it or something..?"
<Lucian> "...no. I half suspected you were interested and the teasing...well, I just thought those girly sides of you were cute and that I wanted to see more of them. And I guess halfway into that I started to realize that, really, I just wanted to see more of you in general."
<Lucian> "You telling me this is really more than I could have hoped for..."
<Lucian> "I like you too Alex...but the more we talk and the more I realize about myself on this job is telling me that you deserve somebody /way/ less shitty than me."
<@zoofman> Her face tells you she doesn't like the sound of that.  "And that means what, exactly..?"
»» Lucian opens his mouth, ready to cover his ass but a dull pain in the back of his throat stops him from even that, "...a few hours after I sent you that text...I made out with a girl on the beach. Sue. You were paired up with her, actually."
»» Lucian steels himself for an attack, facing her head on as he delivers he truth.
<@zoofman> Well, the punch never comes.  She just looks down and grasps the arms of the chair tighly, like its a wild roller coaster.  "So...that's the sort of girl you like, huh."
<Lucian> "No! I mean, I do like her but I like you too."
<Lucian> "I like you for different reasons, which isn't to say I like either of you for purely physical reasons but-" he stumbles on his words for a bit before he finally just stops and sets a hand carefully on her knee.
<Lucian> "You're a strong, beautiful girl, Alex. Even if you don't think you're girly, you definitely are. I've seen it myself in the way you smile and laugh."
<Lucian> "...or when you get flustered and nervous because a big idiot is being inconsiderate towards you..."
<Lucian> "You're /definitely/ the sort of girl I like...but I think the problem here isn't you."
<@zoofman> She's really quiet, just sitting there and mulling over your words, mix of anger and sadness written on her face.  She starts to try to say something several times before stopping, but does finally say, "I don't get why you're telling me this.  I think I wish you'd of just lied to me."
»» Lucian answers this one very simply, "It's because I like you that I'm hurting you now. So you know better than to deal with the likes of me. So that I don't end up hurting you more and more down the line."
<Lucian> "I could hold you in my arms and comfort you, kiss you as much as you like, treat you the way you deserve. But would you really be okay with it, knowing what I'm like?"
»» Lucian backs away and sits on the bed, waiting for a response.
<@zoofman> She looks up finally, more annoyed now.  "But, all you did was make out?  You couldn't just apologize?  Ask me to forgive you?  Do you think I wouldn't, couldn't?"  She takes a slow breath.  "I don't get you.  You roped me into this and now you're trying to push me away.  It's like you're just scared of me."
<Lucian> "I am scared of you."
<Lucian> "I'm scared of being in an actual relationship. With an actual human being with feelings that I have to consider."
<Lucian> "You aren't just a patient I can get to know, leave once everything in all right, and follow up when it's convenient."
<Lucian> is all right*
<Lucian> "It's easier when there's no real commitment. I'm terrified because everything happening is more real than I can imagine."
<Lucian> "When I said you were strong in a way I could never be, I meant it. I'm a coward."
<Lucian> "I do a lot of stupid things that people mistake for being brave but it's really just me not thinking things through."
<Lucian> "And when I do actually stop and slow down, to think about things, I realize how shitty I am at dealing with people."
<Lucian> "So I go around in circles and make things more confusing than they really ought to be."
<@zoofman> She closes her eyes and rubs her temple.  "Ugh, I can't tell if you're an idiot or just an asshole.  Yes, I'm upset that you did things with HER, but weren't, aren't dating, so there's like..." She doesn't really seem to know how to word this mushy interperson stuff, "you're acting like you cheated on me.  I'll forgive you, is that what you want?"
<Lucian> "...mostly the former and just a bit of the latter," he says in response to the first bit.
<Lucian> "And...I dunno, what I /want/ to do is push you down on the bed and show you exactly how much I like you but I feel like that might be inappropriate at the moment..."
<Lucian> "But maybe I'm overthinking things right now, too."
<Lucian> "...what do you want to do?"
<@zoofman> She manages to not get flustered by that quip, somehow, and retorts with her own, "Lucian, I think you know how you trying to grapple me would end.  What I want?" she exhales and looks out the window.
<@zoofman> "To be honest, I expected you to just admit this was all a boyish joke.  I didn't really think about relationships either, or that you'd...freak out, or all of that."
<@zoofman> "You meant everything you said, about me, also liking her, not wanting to commit to anything?"
<Lucian> "...yeah, I'm a lot more twirled around in my head than my calm, mature, and composed exterior might indicate."
<Lucian> "Yeah, pretty much."
<Lucian> "...I'm beginning to think I've thought more about this in the last half hour than either of you two have in the past few weeks."
<Lucian> "And probably gotten a lot less far with it, too."
<@zoofman> She stands up and faces you, clearly pissed off, confused, emotionally exhausted, "You're right, this stuff is a bit scary I guess.  I don't know what I expected, but.." She sits down next to you on the bed.  "If you mean to tell me some prissy rich girl one upped me and don't expect me to fight back, I don't think you know me as well as you think you do."
<Lucian> "...in response to what you said earlier about me grappling you..I know exactly how that would end...and if I'm being honest the prospect excites me a little...?"
<@zoofman> She puts a steely hand on your shoulder and clamps. "Nuh uh, slow down.  How far did you go with her?"
<Lucian> "Just kissing. My hands may have strayed a bit, though."
<@zoofman> SHe unzips her track jacket and throws it onto the chair she was sitting in not long ago.  She's mulling over how word things, "Then that's good enough for us, for now.  I'll forgive you if you...make it even.  What this all means and stuff, we'll just learn later.  The left side of the bed is mine, though."
<@zoofman> After that she releases her deathgrip and just looks at you tauntingly.
»» Lucian lets his hands slide down to her pants and angles his head to suck on the nape of her neck, shifting himself so that he is on the left side of the bed.
<@zoofman> Given Lucian is Untrained in Combat and Acrobatics, and is only a Novice in Athletics...well, its pretty clear how much his grappling for the left side went.  But by morning, making it, uh, "even", was settled.
<@zoofman> How this played out in the long run...fuck if any of us know!  Unless Lucian has a closing quip, I believe that's the end of this mini.
<Lucian> "I guess I need to study up on my ground work."
<Lucian> "You know, I've heard that your family teaches people..."
<@zoofman> She pokes you in the ribs from behind.  You lost at being little spoon, too.  "Sssssh, not getting one-on-one lessons that easy."  And then she returns to drifting off.