She supposed she could not have blamed her friend for dragging her into a bar. A lesbian bar no less. Raven Rander never failed to surprise her. When she entered their dorm after a long day that evening, her friend sprung up to her and had basically dragged her into the bathrooms to change and immediately after that had dragged her out of campus and into the bustling nightlife downtown without even a word of explanation.
However, as much as Raven thought dragging a heterosexual to a lesbian bar would be fun, Poppy Lockwood just was not feeling it. So after lying through her teeth and reassuring that she was 'fine' on her own, she watched her friend disappear into the crowd of people on the dance floor. For the time being, she hung near by the bar and exchanged little pleasantries and polite smiles and nods.
Though that did not last long before she just felt sick by the whole atmosphere. Pushing her chair back, she stood up and made a dash for the back door. The cold wave of night air was refreshing and Poppy welcomed it. It felt suffocating inside.
Post by Cole Ballard on Apr 16, 2016 6:00:45 GMT -6
It might have been odd to see some guy hanging around the lesbian bar like he knew the place pretty well. Cole was lucky to find a bolstered shot of confidence after the last shot that passed his lips, but leaving one place and venturing to another in a practically blind stumble was less of a forte. As he stood, he looked at all the girls who looked at him with a disinterested glance. Not a stare. Not even a look.
He flicked the lid off the lighter in his pocket idly, raising his eyebrows and asking - as charmingly as his accent would allow - if any birds had a cigarette he could kindly poach. And after he apologised for the apparent negativity of the phrase used to call for women, he was granted one. Pressed hands pleaded a generous vote of thanks before he had wandered down the alley.
And then he found another girl. She didn't look super gay, but that didn't mean anything. She was kicking a wall though; maybe she struck out with some hot broad inside.
"Oi love," He called out to her, finding his footing as he peeled a cigarette from his lips, "Not much good coming from walloping that thing, is there?"
Post by Poppy Lockwood on Apr 16, 2016 6:21:09 GMT -6
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The girl was just screaming and kicking, but without much strength and the anger she felt inside was burning hot as ever. She did not know what or who to blame. It certainly was not Raven's fault. She did not know any better and if it was any other day, Poppy knew she would have found it hilarious as well. Perhaps even pretended to be homo and help her friend out score something for tonight.
With her fists clenched, she hit it against the concrete wall with little effort. Ugh. Her head shot up when she heard the voice. Her face paled, realizing that a stranger had witnessed her sudden outbrust. "Damn it." Inhale, exhale, she told herself as she took deep breaths.
"Well I don't see any other options. It's the next best thing," she replied sarcastically, her hands gesturing to their surrounding. Now she felt stupid just standing there.
Post by Cole Ballard on Apr 16, 2016 7:09:31 GMT -6
A quick enough outburst in an alley way was something Cole usually tried to avoid. But it seemed as of late that he met the greatest of personalities in such spaces that were usually reserved for people losing their insides from too much to drink.
This girl seemed rocked by the fact that he was looking at her. A glazed over stare in her direction as she mumbled something to herself and seemed to freeze for a bit. Sarcasm dropped to her lips and immediately Cole thought to offer himself up to her instead. Surely this girl couldn't destroy him with all that much force, could she?
In this town, who knew?
"Some chick turned you out, did she?" He asked, taking a wild stab in the dark.
Post by Poppy Lockwood on Apr 16, 2016 7:23:43 GMT -6
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Not knowing what to expect next, the girl stuffed her hands into her pockets. She exhaled loudly, her eyes darting elsewhere -- anywhere but at the other figure in the alley.
Why won't he just go? She did not know what he was waiting for. Didn't most strangers just leave. Plus, she already made a fool of herself so it would have been great if he just left her alone to deal with the embrrassment.
When he spoke again, her head snapped towards him. Her lips thinned but a hint of a smile was tugging at the corners of her lips. "I would have to care about that first then." She laughed dryly. "I'm a straight lady dragged into a lesbian bar for the purpose of it being joke. What's your excuse?"
Post by Cole Ballard on Apr 17, 2016 20:59:28 GMT -6
Was that a smile? It looked like it might have been a smile. Or rather, it looked like she was at least trying to give Cole a smile. Maybe she liked him after all; maybe he'd hit the mark on the head and she was trying to give him something for cluing onto her situation so quickly. He wasn't always so clever.
Not gay, then. At least that gave him the answer to that.
"Had a lighter; nothing to light." He admitted with a careless shrug of her shoulders, "My problem's over now, thanks to the generosity of some broad chasing tips on how to get an even shave on either side of her head."
So he had no reason to kick walls. But he did have a reason to keep talking now. It was nice when she smiled, and he could put in the effort to entertain her a little more; "At least you got one up on me in there; half the room'd probably die to sleep with you."
Post by Poppy Lockwood on Apr 18, 2016 8:46:35 GMT -6
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The tip of her nose turned up when she realized the stranger was indeed smoking. To be honest, the twenty year old was not a fan of it but she did try to cover the look of distaste she had on. She was thankful for the distance.
Anyway who was she to say anything about it so she kept her mouth shut and just listened to him. Plus, she was not really in the mood to get into a discussion about it especially with someone whom she had just met under five minutes.
Her breath caught in her throat when she heard what he last said. Her stomach churned and her hands buried deeper in her pockets. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?" Maybe it was, maybe it was not but Poppy felt sick when she heard the word sleep. "Any other day I think I'd have given you a different reaction. But..."
She sighed, leaned her back against the wall and looked up to the sky. "I think that's the last thing I want right now."
Post by Cole Ballard on Apr 20, 2016 15:28:10 GMT -6
Distaste wasn't an easy look to cover up. A habit was a habit, and people either indulged or chose not to. Cole took no hard feelings from the negative reaction that painted across her face, but he didn't stop either. If nothing else, he was sure to maintain that stint of distance while still being able to talk to her.
Of course it was a compliment. He nodded his head to the fact, only to find out she wasn't so keen. If not from a lay from her choice of girls, than likely something else was bugging the life out of her and prompting her to kick walls.
"You don't have to want it for it to be true." He offered then, "You can definitely take something away from half a room of girl's wanting you, that's all I'm saying."
Like a vote of confidence. Or an ego boost. Anything to settle a mood, surely.
"You wanna go home? You live far? Or'a you stranded here?"
Post by Poppy Lockwood on May 1, 2016 0:31:20 GMT -6
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Her head turned and she looked at him when he spoke again. Even though his choice of words had made her feel sick, Poppy Lockwood felt an odd bubble of laughter that was waiting to break the surface when she realized he was probably trying to lighten the mood.
A small smile appeared at his suggestion. Home? Staying a few days with her parents and spend some time with her little brother might be nice but she knew that would just raise some questions that she did not want to answer. "I stay at the Bellefonte Academy," she said, not particularly caring that she might have let on that she was a mutant. Anyway, on the other hand, going back to her dorm would just be the same old routine like the day before.
"Stranded? You can say something like that. I think my friend is having too much of fun in there." She titled her head in the direction of the club. Poppy then pushed herself off the wall and headed towards the boy. "Well what the hell," she mumbled to herself. "Do you go around offering rides to strangers who kick and scream at walls?"
Post by Cole Ballard on May 1, 2016 23:34:46 GMT -6
The simple way she named the Bellefonte Academy had him raising his eyebrows with a slightly renewed interest. "That's home, then." Cole replied quickly, and he then sharply denoted that she must have been a meta. Of course, he understood that in a way most wouldn't expect from someone missing a crucial ability.
"Ain't got a ride." He replied with a laugh. To him, that was an amateur move when shifting downtown with every intention of drinking or remaining so inebriated.
But maybe she didn't know that. Did she know that? She didn't look like someone who ventured out this way all that much. She turned her nose at a cigarette where so many wouldn't bat an eyelash.
"But I'll walk with you, if you like. And you can kick as many walls as you please along the way."
Post by Poppy Lockwood on May 2, 2016 10:34:59 GMT -6
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When he called the academy her home, the brunette shrugged. She spent most of her teenage life there -- nine years to be exact, counting this year. Did that qualify to call it home?
And when he corrected her, Poppy Lockwood felt stupid for presuming such a thing. "Oh, sorry my bad." If it were the afternoon, she would have guessed that he was probably a part of the small population that had no car, just like her. But there they were at the back alley of a club. He probably had the same intention like Raven, who came with the bus, for coming downtown tonight.
"How thoughtful of you." His permission to let her kick walls again brought a laugh out of the brunette. "Uh wait." She eyed him warily. Should she really so easily follow a stranger after what happened?
"This isn't some sort of scheme or something where I will get kidnapped and...followed with other bad stuff, right?" Poppy tried to keep her tone light but the worry in her eyes kinda gave it away.