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Retired Moderator
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#76 Old 30th Jan 2010 at 8:46 PM
Default Dominic, Daniel, Lara, Lavinia and others - VIP lounge


Confidence, people tend to say, is a good thing to have.
Too much confidence, they also tend to say, is not.
The line between self-assurance and arrogance is a fine one, and is quite easily crossed by those who do not watch their step when exploring and recognizing the fabulousness and the splendour of their own being. Confidence should always be seasoned with a good dose of modesty to make for a favourable mix, or otherwise will risk leaving quite the bitter aftertaste in those who get to sample it. No one likes a pompous know-it-all, or a self-serving narcissist, whose biggest interests include only themselves, and counting the ways in which they are better than everyone else. And everyone knows it, including the pompous know-it-alls and the self-serving narcissists.
Consequently, there are two types of overly confident people; the ones who take heed, and try their best to pace themselves and their blossoming egos. And then there are the ones who don't.

Dominic de Vere didn't.

While his confidence had never exactly been lacking, the past couple of months of more and more media attention, photo-shoots, TV offers, sponsorship deals, bigger venues and bigger crowds, not to mention a rapidly growing fan base and even a cult of his own, Dominic did sometimes tend to sport the ego of someone who thought himself to be the best thing to happen on this earth since sliced bread. He knew he was talented, and he knew he was hot, and he simply loved to keep others reminded of these facts. But not only that. With his gradually growing rivalry with Asher, and, after living so closely for so long, knowing how to hit him where he hurt, there were times when he would flaunt his superiority - particularly in the areas where he really was superior - and rub it in Asher's face if he could, knowing perfectly well that Asher would do the same to Dominic whenever he got the chance. Now, it didn't usually cross the border of playful and teasing banter, like in the brief session they'd had earlier this evening, but there were still times, usually during song writing sessions or performance planning or, like now, with Dominic somewhat high on coke - the effects of which included an additionally boost of confidence - that it did all venture beyond that, and take on a more arrogant tone. Never intentionally mean exactly, just... recklessly obnoxious.
At least that's how it would seem to be considered, by other people's standards.

"Dude", came Lavinia's rather dry voice, following in the wake of the slightly awkward - though not for Dominic - silence that Asher's departure had caused around the table, "that was about as subtle as a bulldozer on steroids."

And apparently, she wasn't the only one feeling that way, because while there were those who were clearly finding it all simply amusing - among whom was Lori, judging by the soft, throaty chuckle washing against Dominic's neck - there were quite a few pointed glances and nods of agreement as well.
Though that didn't bother Dominic, who instead just gave a somewhat regretful grimace.

"Yeah...", he said in a tone of voice suggesting that he'd felt he'd had to be that blunt, in order for Asher to get the message. "He's really not the brightest one of the bunch, is he?"

Okay, so maybe that one was kind of mean, for Dominic to make jokes on Asher's expense, especially when knowing he'd gotten to him, but... He was kind of on a roll here. Dominic never did have a problem just going with the flow, and never really needed more than a moment or two to seize the reins of a conversation, and steer it to wherever he wanted it to go. For better or for worse. Sometimes, he didn't even know where he wanted it to go in the first place, but just simply went with the flow, period, and let his impulses guide him. More than usual, that is. With him, you never really could be certain just where you'd end up.

Though this time, as it would turn out, the destination was to remain unknown, even to Dominic himself, because next thing he knew, a familiar but much out of place voice was heard through the general buzz around the table, drawing his eyes to lock on first one and then two equally out of place faces.

"Hey N-..."

Dominic's eyes widened in utter disbelief, and shock. Danny?! And Lara too?!! What were they doing here?!! Lara wasn't supposed to show up until the day after tomorrow, and Danny was... supposed to be at home, last Dominic had heard!

Instantly, and above all guiltily, Dominic's arm vanished from around Lori's voluptuous frame, the motion itself pushing her slightly away from him, as though it would somehow magically erase what he already knew that both brother and girlfriend had witnessed. The look on both their faces alone spoke volumes of how they had seen it, and caught on to the clear implications thereof. Daniel looked as though he couldn't believe his eyes, and Lara... As soon as Dominic's gaze flicked over to her - after the split second "sh*t!" that initially went through his head - there was an instant stab to his chest, of guilt, and of distress. He'd been caught red-handed, he knew that, and even though he'd done what he'd done knowingly and willingly, his intention hadn't been to hurt her. He hadn't meant for her to ever find out, because... what he'd done with others, he'd done only because he wasn't able to do it with her. Whoever he had been with, and whatever they'd done, it had all just been a substitute for Lara.

However, the thing about initial reactions, is that they are rarely the most clever and thought through ones, far more likely to first take the route of denial, or trying to smooth things over and pretend that what had just happened, hadn't actually happened at all, as though that would somehow make it so. And as much as Dominic liked to think of himself as unique and intelligent, this was a trap that he, like so many before him, first waltzed right into.

"Danny!", he exclaimed in surprised delight. "Lara! Hey!"

And, having (honestly, yet conveniently) forgotten all about Lori, it was as though he couldn't slip past her quick enough, to stand from the booth and greet the newly arrived duo with a big, enthusiastic hug each. Lara first, along with a quick kiss, and then Daniel.

"What are you guys doing here?!", Dominic then continued, still sounding just as thrilled as he pulled back to look at the two of them, despite not missing the way that Lara hadn't responded to his kiss, like she usually would, but instead simply just stood there as though frozen in time.

And to make matters worse, she wasn't the only one who seemed to be taken aback by what she had seen, because as excited and happy as Daniel was to finally get to see his beloved brother, his first reaction was an utterly confused;

"Dude, what the hell?"

Never in a lifetime would he have thought that Dominic would ever cheat on Lara, not even by "just" getting cosy with someone else, like had seemed to be the case with that gothic girl who'd just had her hands all over him. To him, Dominic and Lara had seemed like the perfect couple - not the kind that never argued, but rather the kind that argued but always made up - and he had always figured that they'd manage to stay together all these years for a reason. Staying together while literally growing up together was a challenge not many relationships would have survived.
So to see Dominic pretty much be felt up by someone else and looking as though he didn't mind it in the least... It was a hard blow to Daniel's idea of Dominic's and Lara's relationship. Not to mention his rather rose-tinted idea of his adored big brother.

However, despite the candid question, Dominic managed to dodge it, by squeezing himself in between Daniel and Lara, put an arm around their shoulders and, turning to the rest of the band - the ones who were still there - and their friends, announce with a beaming smile;

"Everyone, this is Danny, my kid brother. And to those of you who haven't already met her, this beauty here is my girlfriend Lara."

Though that said, not much time was left for greetings, because following that introduction, Dominic gave Daniel a pat on the back, and urged him gently to claim one of the few empty seats around the table.

"It's good to see you, bro", he said, and gave Daniel's hair an affectionately playful ruffle. "We'll talk in a minute, there's something I gotta do first. Here, take a load off, and get to know the others for a bit. I'll be right back."

Then, after shooting Lavinia a meaningful look and a "Be nice", he went on to turn to Lara, and gently grasped her hand while seeking her gaze.

"Can we talk?", he asked in a voice low enough for only her to hear.

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
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#77 Old 4th Feb 2010 at 12:43 AM
Default Lara and Danny, then Dominic - Launch Party to Outside

She was just stunned.

Whenever something like this happened to someone else, like a friend or an acquaintance, you always think that you’ll react badly and you’ll feel all these things and you’ll make a scene. You find your boyfriend getting close to another woman, and there’s this set stock of things that you feel.
Lara wasn’t feeling any of them. What she felt was eerily void, stunned, numb, having caught the sight of Dominic with his arm around that girl and all that raced through her head was a multitude of reasons as to why it was perfectly legitimate and she was just jumping the gun and getting to conclusions that really didn’t apply because there’s no reason why he’d have to resort to another woman’s company, is there? Was there? Did they have a fight and she just hadn’t realised it, or had she not been enough...?
How many times? How long for?
They were just thoughts that swam vacantly in her head.

She didn’t really hear it when Danny protested against her idea, and she didn’t really catch the exclamation in his voice as his eyes caught the visage of his big brother, but she snapped out of it when Danny grabbed her wrist, gently tugging her towards Dominic – and the woman – and Lara’s senses seized in panic of what she’d say to him or to her or... how he’d react. What if he just expected her to be okay with it, because it was some new part of his lifestyle and... she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t share him.
Oh, God. What if she was pregnant and that was the final straw?
No, Dominic wouldn’t do that. But then, Dominic wouldn’t cheat either.

She stayed within the mercurial storm of her emotions as Danny led her to what she really didn’t want to face right now and it suddenly occurred to her that it was something that she didn’t want Danny to face either; he hero worshipped his brother and it was his birthday soon. It was the worst timing ever for him to have to deal with this, and though whatever lack in their relationship had caused this was clearly caused by Lara and Dominic, she knew Danny would be affected by it and she really didn’t want that.
She really didn’t want any of this right now.

"Hey N-...," his voice was stolen by the slight shock and she knew it was too late. He saw it too. And it wasn’t just her being paranoid, there was something to be upset about.
She shut her eyes momentarily, taking a tight breath as her eyes locked onto Dominic and drank in the look of guilt and she wasn’t sure whether it made her feel better or worse because knowing he was sorry made her want to forgive him. He made a mistake, he was sorry, it was okay.
Was it just one mistake, though?

"Danny!" Dominic rose to his feet and suddenly, all that was gone and he was just barefaced about it and she couldn’t keep that look of expectation hiding betrayal off her face. "Lara! Hey!"
His arms enveloped her and she was a little too sluggish to react, feeling his soft lips press against hers, the familiar taste of him seeping into her senses and a part of him wanted to hold him in, kiss him properly, claim him back from that girl and everyone else. A part of her wanted to just leave and pretend this wasn’t happening. She just stood there and her lips barely parted to take his in.
"What are you guys doing here?!"

"Dude, what the hell?" she heard Danny’s confused voice cut though and she really thought she should say something, like... “It’s okay” or “Let him explain” or “We probably have it wrong”.
She didn’t get to, because the next moment, she found herself in his embrace again, and she tensed up because in a way, it felt like such a lie. It felt like everything, the past six years, was a lie because it didn’t mean as much to him as it did to her. She loved him so much that there’d never really been anyone else that she wanted, or that she sought out, but for him....

"Everyone, this is Danny, my kid brother,” he introduced them and she felt the weight of the stares turn onto her and Danny. “And to those of you who haven't already met her, this beauty here is my girlfriend Lara."

Lara, whilst not exactly a social recluse, wasn’t the most outgoing of people. She didn’t go up to others and strike up conversations, she didn’t direct it anywhere; she played passive. She was so very introverted and Dominic was so very extroverted. So, whenever Dominic exuberantly introduced her to his friends, Lara had always given a shy smile and sort of awkwardly receded close to him. She was lovely to them when they talked to her, yes, but at an abrupt introduction, she grew quite shy and self-conscious.
That was when Lara was feeling like herself; she was open and friendly, but diffidently. Now, it was all ajar and she wasn’t sure what to react to and so, as all of their faces – including the striking Lavinia – turned to her at the mention of her name, she just looked down at the floor and pursed her lips before looking up again to flash them a tight smile and then looking away again.
Oh, God. She didn’t want to come across as the standoffish accessory of a girlfriend.

"It's good to see you, bro,” Dominic showed Danny towards the table, whilst keeping her at his side and she figured they were going to talk soon. "We'll talk in a minute, there's something I gotta do first. Here, take a load off, and get to know the others for a bit. I'll be right back."

"Can we talk?" There. And yes. They had to talk, right.

She merely nodded and soon, he led her away from the crowd and the party, away from the scene they’d stumbled upon and dispelled and away just to leave the two of them alone and together again in the relative quietness. Alone with him as she’d been looking forward to for the length of the week, and the blankness washed away and she leaned up, her lips stroking open his in gentle affection as her hands softly pressed against his chest. That image came back to haunt her and she pulled away, looking at him straight in the eye pointedly, her dark emerald orbs carrying a potency laying out her hurt heart for him to see.

“I missed you...,” the words came out as half of a soft confession and half of an accusation and she wasn’t sure which one she’d rather have it be.

"Life is just a chance to grow a soul" - A. Powell Davies
Alchemist
#78 Old 4th Feb 2010 at 11:32 AM Last edited by Ghanima Atreides : 4th Feb 2010 at 2:50 PM.
Default Lavinia, with Danny and the rest - VIP lounge



Lavinia liked Dominic. There was no dullness with him around, he was an engaging musician and (most of the times) a good friend to have. Sure, he could also get on her last nerve especially during those times when everyone was beginning to feel the strain of seemingly endless tours and concerts with barely any respite or privacy in between, and he certainly had his share of faults, but Lavinia did like Dominic. Most of the time.

She also happened to disagree with certain things that he did, and even told him so, but Lavinia was far from a busybody; she was a firm believer in the idea that everyone is responsible for their own actions, and as an adult, one made their own choices. She didn't like it whenever others criticized her habits, so why should she do it to others? Therefore, she didn't shove her views on Nicky, even when she disagreed: live and let live, and all that jazz.

Among Dominic's most notable faults, was the fact that his ego sometimes got a little too big for him. He just didn't always grasp the fine line between being snarky and being an asshole, nor was he known for giving up while he was on a roll. Like then; if Asher's peeved departure wasn't proof enough that he'd managed to push a very sensitive button, then Lavinia's pointed remark followed by a couple of approving nods around the table should definitely have tipped him off; Dominic was anything but dim. He was however particularly skilled at cherry-picking the things he acknowledged, especially at times when – and Lavinia suspected this was one of those times – other substances besides alcohol were at work in his system. So, instead of acknowledging that perhaps he'd gone a little too far with Asher, he instead painted a regretful look on his face and with the air of someone who claimed he was mean in order to be kind, remarked:

"Yeah...He's really not the brightest one of the bunch, is he?"

Lavinia's brows flew upwards at this, the silent warning that he should probably quit while he was ahead materializing therein, for around the table those who knew Asher were beginning to lose taste for the joke. As fate would have it though, the matter was soon to be put out of everyone's mind by the sudden and most unexpected arrival of a young woman joined by an even younger man. By the time Dominic's gaze – along with most of the others' – landed upon them, the look of confusion and disbelief they donned was plain to see. This was going to be bad, Lavinia knew the moment she saw the pair, for she recognized them from Nicky's pictures and descriptions: these were none other than Lara, his girlfriend, and Danny, his younger brother, and Dominic was in the process of having his body mapped out by that groupie's hands when they landed in.

It was like watching a train wreck: unable to look away, and wanting to open your mouth in that split-second before collision and utter some sort of warning though you knew it was far, far too late. Swifter than Lavinia had seen him move all night, Dominic retracted his arm from around the groupie's form, an expression of inappropriate delight soon replacing that of momentary shock at being caught red-handed, and he exclaimed:


"Danny! Lara! Hey!"


He then extracted himself from the booth and went to greet them more personally, though neither quite returned his enthusiasm. Lara, especially, stood there as through rooted to the floor, a frozen expression on her face and, Lavinia suspected, a similar sluggishness filling her stunned mind. Dominic's cheating was possibly the thing she disagreed with most, because it was such a shitty thing to do to someone, but, again, she couldn't force him to be faithful, nor was her business to try. It was between him and Lara and she'd warned him that sooner or later shit would hit the fan, these things had a way of exposing themselves. Lavinia looked at Lara and felt some incipient pity for the girl, because she knew what it felt like; she'd walked in on an ex-boyfriend's makeout session with someone else once too, though the guy in question had found himself out on his ass sooner than he could say "I can explain!" She'd been positively seething with rage then, deaf to any explanations, because as far as she was concerned there were none. Being caught red-handed tended to do that. She certainly wouldn't have been able to maintain Lara's outward calm, especially in the face of Dominic's denial.

"What are you guys doing here?!" he went on to ask, and his bandmates knew all too well this was a surprise; Lara wasn't supposed to have been there for another day and he'd never mentioned his brother joining her at all. Though it seemed there was one de Vere who felt like cutting to the chase and addressing the matter at hand:

"Dude, what the hell?" Danny uttered in genuine confusion, but Dominic proved faster, lodging himself between the two of them as he turned to the booth full of observers.

"Everyone, this is Danny, my kid brother." he announced brightly. "And to those of you who haven't already met her, this beauty here is my girlfriend Lara."

Lavinia almost sighed; she didn't know Lara and from what she'd heard she was the the embodiment of all the mellow levelheadedness Dominic lacked, but she expected her to tear him a new one over that attitude. She would, in any case. He did manage to do the first smart thing ever since the whole thing began and took Lara aside to talk, while leaving Danny with the rest of the group. Being closest to the edge, Lavinia scooted aside a bit to allow him to sit, remaining silent while greetings and introductions were exchanged around her. The poor kid still looked rather preoccupied with what he'd just witnessed and probably wouldn't have liked being put on the spot by everyone else as well. Fortunately, those not directly involved retreated back into a party mood, and the atmosphere gradually livened around the table.

"Hey," Lavinia said in a tone that she hoped sounded approachable and grabbing a fresh beer from nearby, she placed it in front of Danny. "I'm Lavinia. You ok?"


If wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets
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#79 Old 7th Feb 2010 at 2:53 AM
Default Rio - intro post - from camp site to VIP lounge


"Henry said he picked you up at '42'?"

"Yeah. He did."

"So... how'd he know you're gay? He didn't just waltz up to you and ask, right?"

"Nah. He told me he'd seen me at 'Tricks' the week before."

"Ah, okay."

Chilling out in the grass outside the small trailer that was to be their home base for the next couple of days, Rio and Enrico - another young man in the service of Henry Grant, manager and co-founder of emotwinks.com - were taking the opportunity to get a little better acquainted with one another before tomorrow's photo shoot, in order to dispel whatever awkwardness there might have otherwise been between two boys being brought together and expected to get all hot and heavy in front of the camera, without having first had a chance to get a grasp of whatever chemistry there was between them. It was their first real chance to talk, since while Enrico had gotten here just earlier today with Henry and Brendan, the photographer, Rio had been here since the previous evening, having arrived along with Brad and the rest of Tears of Andromeda, in the tour bus they shared with the guys of Black Water, the band they were currently touring with. He'd gotten a call from Henry about an hour ago, telling him that the rest of the "crew" - meaning Henry himself, Brendan and Enrico - had arrived, and so had made his way to the camp site to meet up with them. Greetings and introductions done and over with, Henry and Brendan had then left the two youths to get acquainted, and become comfortable with one another.

They had started out talking about the usual stuff, covering the standard "where are you from?" and "what do you do?", but had then soon glided over to the subject that was bound to arise between them; their experience in the field, and how they had gotten there. Enrico had just told Rio how about two months ago, he had come across the website, and after some consideration, had contacted the people in charge of it to maybe work for them - something they had decided to take him up on - after which it had been Rio's turn to tell his story, of how the manager, Henry, had apparently seen Rio at the Detroit gay club 'Tricks' last October, and then a week later at the campus café '42'. There, he had approached him, and made him the offer that Rio had eventually accepted; for him to appear in "adult situations", as Henry had put it, with other young men, in both photos and videos, for others to enjoy. To be perfectly honest, it was something that Rio had chosen to do mostly because he was curious, to test his own limits, and that he didn't imagine that he'd keep on doing. But as it had turned out, despite being extremely nervous the first time, he'd ended up getting a kick out of it, done it again, and again, and had by now grown to be perfectly comfortable in front of the camera.
And as for the part regarding what he was doing in front of the camera... Having hot sex with cute guys, and getting paid for it? Hey, there were a lot worse ways to make money, and friends. As far as Rio was concerned, it was as close to a dream job he could have; he had fun, he got laid, the hours were short and the money good. What more could a guy ask for?

Still, there were of course downsides - although they tended to be easily overcome - and he wasn't planning on making a long-term career out of it. But for now, he was having a blast, and so was going to just enjoy the ride.
All of them.

"So...", Enrico started again, and Rio, who was laying on his back in the grass, comfortably propped up on his elbows, and momentarily surveying the surroundings, turned his gaze back to him. "I was thinking, maybe we should go over what we're gonna do tomorrow?"

Ah, yes, the photo shoot; the reason why they were all here. Henry had gotten the idea for the concept when a couple of weeks earlier, he'd wanted to schedule a shoot between Rio and Enrico this weekend, and Rio had declined due to already having made arrangements to come to the festival with Brad, whom he already didn't get to see as often as he'd like. So, opportunist that he was, Henry had found a way for Rio to kill two birds with one stone, and gotten in touch with the organizers of the festival to come to an agreement that would allow the crew to hold the photo shoot there.

"We're doing the shoot backstage, right?", Enrico asked, to which Rio gave a nod.

"Yeah, that's the plan."

How on earth Henry had managed that, Rio didn't know, but he was glad that he had. The backstage area would offer a bit more privacy than would the rest of the festival site, and thus spare the two boys the distraction of having people gawk at them and getting disruptive while they were making out - which was all they were going to do, at least in public. Because really, while Rio was no stranger to getting intimate in front of the camera, there had never been more than four other people present, at the most, when he'd been shooting; his co-star, the director/manager, the photographer/camera man, and possibly someone in charge of the lighting. The website aimed for a sense of realism, as opposed to the cheesy and would-be-glamorous porn flicks of the past, with ridiculous scripts and dialogue. Here, things were kept simple; the basics of a scene were given by the director, the boys ad-libbed it, and it was all shot from start to finish, with one or two cameras only, and without interruptions.

"Where, exactly? And what's the concept?"

Rio gave a light, carefree shrug of his shoulders.

"Don't know where", he said, "I just heard it was backstage somewhere, and that it was going to be some rock star/groupie type thing."

Then, catching the slight shadow of concern flitting across Enrico's handsome features at the uncertainty of not having something more elaborate to go on, Rio flashed him a calming smile.

"Relax", he soothed, and gave the other young man a friendly pat on his jeans-clad knee as he sat up. "We'll just go with the flow. You'll be fine."

Those were words that, although simple, still did seem to be enough to make Enrico's features soften into a smile in return, and he studied Rio for a few moments.

"So...", he said, in a voice that then took on a rather more playfully suggestive tone. "You wanna, like... practice, or something...?"

At that, Rio couldn't help a contentedly flattered grin from spreading on his inviting (clearly) lips, and he gave a soft, light laugh.

"Tempting, tempting", he admitted, and pursued his lips together for a moment. "But I don't think my boyfriend would be too thrilled about it."

"Oh, you have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah. Brad. He's okay with what I do on camera, but would probably mind it a lot if I practiced on someone other than him."

Enrico nodded in understanding.

"I can imagine", he said with a faint smile, and then gave a shrug, as if to say 'Well, it was worth a shot'.

"Speaking of which...", Rio said after glancing down at his watch. "I gotta get going. I was supposed to meet up with him ten minutes ago."

Pushing himself up off the ground, he came to his feet and straightened himself out, while brushing grass and dirt from the palms of his hands, and then from his pants. Though as for obvious reasons, he didn't have as good a view of his backside as Enrico did, he missed a spot just below the curve of his buttocks, presenting Enrico with an opportunity that he didn't hesitate to seize. And, reaching up to brush of the small pieces of dirt from there, it wasn't the only thing he seized. Seeing his chance to get at least a little hands-on experience, he grabbed it. And Rio's ass with it.

"Whoa, hey!", Rio laughed as he jumped at the unexpected groping, and thus twisted away from it in pure reflex.

Enrico flashed him a smile that managed to look perfectly innocent, at first, but after a second or two turned far more mischievous, and smugly satisfied.

"Not bad", was his verdict. "Not bad at all."

"No, but I can be", Rio grinned and gave a quick, playful wink, and in doing so drew a grin from Enrico as well. "You'll see."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Dito. So, see you tomorrow then?"

"Yup. Say hi to the boyfriend from me."

"Will do", Rio promised with a smile, and then gave a small, sloppy salute in parting. "Bye."

Already being late, and knowing that Brad was waiting for him, he then wasted no time making his way back to the same backstage gates that he had passed through earlier that afternoon, only in the opposite direction, when on his way to meet up with Enrico, Henry and Brendan. In that time, there appeared to have been a change in shifts or something among the security guards, judging by how all the faces there were new to Rio. Still stern, serious and generally "I'm badass, don't mess with me" though. Still, it didn't matter, because with a backstage pass hanging visibly around his neck, all they did was to wave him past them and into the backstage area, where even though it was only a couple of hours since he'd last been there, things had changed quite a bit. A new large tent had been raised near the fences separating the backstage area from the public festival area, and a couple of more tour busses had been parked with the rest, wherever there had been room for them. Added to that was a somewhat busier crowd, with people milling about in every direction, some hurrying forward with purpose in their step - staff people - and others roaming seemingly aimlessly - performers and other visitors with backstage access - just for the sake of walking, or possibly in search of someone or something. Probably their tour busses, Rio figured, considering the total disarray of vehicles there.

He, however, was not one to roam aimlessly, nor was he searching for anything. He knew exactly where he was going; the VIP lounge, where Brad and the rest of the guys had been heading for a beer and to get into the spirit of the festival, when Rio had parted company with them. Although once inside, he did have to stop to catch his bearings, and stretch his neck in order to try and spot the set of familiar, shaggy black and blonde hair among... all the other sets of black hair... It would seem most of the various types of rockers the festival attracted had gathered here, and while there was the odd blonde and brunette, and the occasional redhead, the most common hair color (not to mention color of clothing) - was black. It took Rio a good couple of minutes before finally spotting Brad near the back corner of the lounge. But once he did, he headed straight for him, his small, slim frame slipping easily between the moving bodies, and eventually landing right behind Brad.

"Hey handsome", he purred playfully in his ear, while slipping his arms tightly around his waist. "Sorry I'm late. I got held up."

Literally.

"Hey", Brad said, turning his head to glance at Rio over his shoulder with a smile, and then turning fully to greet him with a quick kiss.

Then, he tilted his head to Rio's right, indicating the crowded booth in the corner.

"They're here."

Rio's gaze immediately flicked over to the somewhat rowdy group there, his eyes searching for one face in particular, and he stretched his neck again to try and catch a glimpse of those sitting down, as his view was being blocked by those standing in front of the table. Then, just as one guy - who Rio discovered to be none other than Dominic, Lara’s boyfriend - slipped out of the booth, the bodies in front of him shifted slightly, and Rio's eyes finally locked on the face he had been searching for; the face of a gorgeous young woman, whose appearance for a split second stole the very air from his lungs, and made his heart skip a beat.
That was her.
That was Lavinia Sinclair.





(((ooc: Thanks to Alissa for helping me out with the beginning. Also, I added the questionnaire to his bio, because... while he's not a performer at the festival, he is an artist of sorts, and he does have fans. And I couldn't decide what banner to start off with, so I went with both. *nod*)))

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
Retired Moderator
retired moderator
#80 Old 9th Feb 2010 at 10:32 PM
Default Dominic and Lara - outside VIP lounge


A nod. A simple dip of her delicate chin to indicate her agreement. That was all Lara gave in response to his request to talk to her in private, and Dominic didn't know if that was a good thing, or a bad one. He didn't know whether it meant that she thought she was overreacting to what she had just been made to witness between him and... what's-her-name... right, Lori... and was doing her best not to let it affect her, or if she just didn't want to make a scene. He knew how shy she usually was around other people, especially those whom she didn't know, and here he'd just made her and Danny the center of attention to a big group of strangers. All eyes had been on her in a situation where she was probably already feeling less than confident, and... yeah, maybe that hadn't been the smartest move for Dominic to make. He realized that now, although his reaction - both the guilt and the excitement at seeing Lara and Daniel - had been genuine, and unstoppable at the time. And he was quick to try and correct his mistake, gripping Lara's hand more firmly in his own, and leading the way towards the exit in search of a quieter place to talk, ploughing his way firmly through the crowded lounge with surprising unyieldingness, considering his lean build, and the occasionally far broader and bigger one of the people he pushed aside on his way out, earning himself an annoyed shove and several "watch it!" in the process, but ignoring them all. For once, he actually wasn't at all interested in causing commotion, or a scene worthy of the attention of everyone around. He just wanted a chance to talk to Lara, and clear the air before it all got infected.

The best place to do that, would seem to him to be outside, away from the crowd and the music, with all the noise and nosiness and just general lack of privacy that came with it. If Lara's lack of a response was due to her not wanting to cause a scene, him pushing her by addressing the matter in front of strangers - regardless of whether they were listening or not - would hardly make things any better, or easier for either of them.

It took a minute or two, along with some swerving here and there, for him to get them to the exit, but once there, he lead her out of the VIP lounge without hesitation or further delay, into the cooling night air outside, and put just a little bit of distance between them and the lounge, before finally stopping at a fairly private spot. People were still milling about all around them, the lounge was still nearby, and the music from inside was still heard as a steady and somewhat muffled thumping, but at least they wouldn't have to raise their voices in order to talk.
Not for the sake of hearing one another, anyway...

Coming to a halt, Dominic turned to Lara, his mind still hard at work to figure out how to address the matter, and his eyes latching onto her darling features in search of something that might tip him off how to go about it. Imagine his surprise then, when instead of finding her looking at him expectantly in waiting for him to try and explain himself, he felt the warmth of her body as it slipped close to his, fitting so perfectly into his embrace in the way that sometimes would make him think it must have been designed especially for her, and her lips brushing against his in a gentle kiss. Though whether unexpected or not, it was completely irrelevant to Dominic's own body. It reacted immediately to her closeness, his lips pressing greedily back against hers in instantly flaring hunger, and his arms slipped around her narrow waist to bring her even closer to him, as the realization that apparently, he wasn't completely in the doghouse passed through his mind.

Nor was he completely out of it either; that much was made clear to him when she withdrew from him before the fire within him grew all too consuming, and looked at him with those soulful eyes that in this instant made all words seem redundant, their pale green depths providing a silent answer to the question he hadn't asked. Seeing the expression in them, there was no longer any doubt whatsoever in Dominic's mind about what'd had her acting so reserved upon being greeted by him, and what she was feeling. She truly was hurt by what she had seen, and was figuring she had good reason to be. She had realized where things between him and Lori had been heading, and overreacting was not what she thought she was doing.

"I missed you...", she said softly, and in earnest, but with an undertone of accusation that just couldn't be missed, even if her eyes had not already sent him the message.

Christ, how did he explain this to her? How did he explain that he'd cheated on her a number of times, but never for the sake of not loving her as much as he always had? Because he knew that was what had to be going through her head; that for him to do something like this, his feelings for her must have cooled. But really, it was just sex, it had nothing to do with him loving her any less. On the contrary. It was the thought of having her, but not having her when he needed it, that drove him up the wall.

At the same time... He couldn't deny the rush that it was, to have girls pining for him, and knowing he could have his pick among quite a few of them... knowing that they wanted him, that they were lusting after him, that they were there for him to take, with no greater effort than simply feeling like it. It was so easy, such a kick to have girls competing to get to pleasure him without him really having to offer anything in return. And it was so very, very tempting to indulge them, just because he could. Especially when energies were running high in him, and every show left him hopped up on sexual tension and his loins crying out for release.

Then, there was of course also the part of him that thrived on experience, and on trying new things. The part of him that was acutely aware that he hadn't really been with that many girls; he'd only had a couple of girlfriends before Lara - only one of whom he'd slept with, and only a couple times - and like so many guys his age, had this idea in his head about "sowing his wild oats" before settling down properly.
The problem with that was, he was nowhere near wanting to end things with Lara, and didn't want to give her up just to be able to fulfil that desire, which was probably mostly fuelled by the expectations of society and guys in general anyway; an idea of what he was supposed to want, so ingrained that it did become part of what he thought he might want, yet clashing with something else that he knew he wanted; Lara.

"I've missed you too", he said, giving a faint but undoubtedly affectionate smile as his knuckles brushed gently against her cheek.

Though it was a smile that soon faded, and his chest heaved with a sigh, that was to be the start of delving into what he had never wanted her to find out about, and coming clean about it;

"Baby, look...", he started somewhat reluctantly. "I've done some things lately that I'm not too proud of."

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
Retired Moderator
retired moderator
#81 Old 11th Feb 2010 at 6:51 PM
Default Daniel with Lavinia - booth in VIP lounge


Daniel de Vere, because of his mellow temperament, usually tended to not be easily rattled. He didn't get angry or upset without quite a bit of provocation, and for him to curse or raise his voice was a rare occurrence indeed. His general approach towards people, things and happenings alike, was one practiced with an inner calm and never without a certain amount of contemplation, as he would rather try to understand a situation before reacting to it, than to react instantly and possibly in a way that he wouldn't have, had he just taken a moment to think. He'd seen a lot of anger and hurt be born from words spoken too rashly, and only do more damage to an already volatile situation, and he didn't wish to be part of something like that, let alone instigate it.

Yet, even a mellow temperament can only withstand so much without buckling under the pressure, and so there would of course be times when Daniel's temper flared, or something affected him to the point of rendering him stunned and speechless, struggling to comprehend what was going on.
Having reached the table where the majority of his brother's band was sitting with their friends, and finding Dominic with his arm resting perfectly comfortably around the shoulders of some random girl, and her hands unashamedly exploring his body, this was to be one such time. Young Daniel just couldn't believe his eyes when he saw it. Even when Dominic spotted him and Lara, and his arms retracted from the girl in the bat of an eye, thus confirming that what they had seen was nowhere near innocent, Daniel had a hard time wrapping his head around what he'd been witnessing.

Dominic getting cosy with a girl other than Lara? Truly, genuinely cosy, and not just in a joking or affectionately friendly way? He'd never thought he'd see the day... Dominic adored Lara, Daniel knew he did. He followed his brothers frequently updated blog almost religiously, and so was well familiar with how Dominic would often end his entries by mentioning how he missed his girlfriend. He'd even joked once that much like Cato would always end his speeches in the Roman senate, regardless of the topic, with saying "Moreover, I advise that Carthage must be destroyed", Dominic himself would always end his blog entries with a few words to or about Lara. Well, really, there were obviously times when he didn't, when he was too caught up in what was happening around him, but the more thoughtful and contemplative entries all carried his signature greeting to her.
Furthermore, Daniel had seen the two of them together, he'd seen the way that Lara always seemed to bring Dominic gently back down to earth, and infuse him with a bit of calm that he otherwise seemed to lack. He'd seen the way that Dominic just seemed to be soothed by having Lara around, and the way that he would have a difficult time keeping his hands off her. Not always with the intention of groping or getting her aroused, but also just to have her near and feel her there, by holding her hand, or wrapping his arm around her shoulders or her waist as they stood talking to friends.

Yup, Dominic really did love Lara. There were no two ways about it. Which was why finding him seemingly enjoying the intimate and brazen touch of another girl confused the hell out of Daniel. Not to mention shocked him. It was a serious blow to his idea of his adored big brother.

"Dude, what the hell?", he questioned, having not even really registered Dominic's greeting in all the bewilderment, but simply uttered the first few word to make it to the tip of his tongue.

Not that he was made any the wiser for it, because Dominic easily smoothed it all over, by landing an arm around his shoulders, and the other around Lara's, while turning to the rather crowded booth with a bright smile.

"Everyone, this is Danny, my kid brother", he introduced Daniel, before moving on to introduce Lara as well, leaving the rather shaken duo feeling even more awkward as they suddenly found themselves the targets of quite a few stares, some of recognition and others of curiosity and acknowledgement.

And they both seemed equally flustered by it, because while Lara managed only a faint, reserved smile, Daniel himself accomplished little more than for his gaze to sweep across all the faces turned towards him, and give a small distracted nod in greeting, while he tried to register who they were. All the band members he recognized - except for Asher, who was no longer there - even though he had only ever met Leon, but he was too preoccupied with the thoughts whirling around in his head, to take them all in.
What was going to happen with Dominic and Lara now? Were they breaking up? Were they having problems that Daniel hadn't known about? He wasn't actually in the relationship with them, after all, so he wouldn't know, but he'd just assumed that everything was fine, and had had this possibly naive idea of how they just belonged together. He'd never thought of the possibility of the two of them not being together.

"It's good to see you, bro", Dominic's voice cut through his bewilderment, but in the next moment only went on to add to it, by nudging the stunned boy towards the table, while ruffling his hair in a way that Daniel only automatically tried to dodge. "We'll talk in a minute, there's something I gotta do first. Here, take a load off, and get to know the others for a bit. I'll be right back."

And with that he was gone, vanished in the crowd along with Lara, leaving the shy youth whipping his head around from one side to the other as he realized they had left, and then stare at the people around the table, much like a deer caught in the headlights. Though much to his relief, they either didn't notice, or at least were nice enough to pretend they didn't, and instead just invited him to join them. There was even made room for him to sit. By and next to none other than Lavinia herself...

The realization made him snap out of it - although it did nothing whatsoever to lift the growing feeling of being quite flustered, because... well... it was Lavinia; the vixen on that master/slave poster with Dominic, that Daniel had on his bedroom wall at home - and he managed to ease past two guys, and sink down onto the seat offered to him, while several of the people around him took the opportunity to introduce themselves. Leon greeted him with a simple nod and a "hey", Shane with a firm handshake to go with his name, and the rest with a couple of variations in between, even though they all noticed that Daniel was clearly distracted, having yet to fully digest what he'd seen happening between his brother, and the girl who still remained around the table, but now wasn't looking nearly as content about it as before.
And it ended up once again being Lavinia that finally brought him out of it.

"Hey", she said as she placed an opened bottle of beer in front of him, and in doing so brought his gaze to snap away from the crowd, to the bottle, and then to her face. "I'm Lavinia. You ok?"

At that, Daniel first only stared at her as though he hadn't really understood what she'd said, before a couple of moments later, a clearly shy smile seized hold of his lips, and painted his cheeks in a faint shade of flushing embarrassment as his gaze dropped momentarily to the surface of the table.

"Yeah... I know who you are", he admitted, and then his gaze found it's way back to her, still with that shy smile on his lips. "Hi... And yeah, I'm okay, I'm just..."

His voice trailed off, but only for the briefest of moments as his eyes flicked over to the part of the crowd where Dominic had last been seen, and back again, as only a split second after falling silent, he continued;

"Has he done that before?", he asked, but then immediately changed his mind. "Actually, nevermind, it's none of my business."

It really wasn't. Just because he had an opinion on the matter, and just because he too adored Lara, that didn't mean it was up to him to get involved with whatever happened between her and Dominic. Especially not while they themselves were obviously trying to sort it out.
Thus, he instead tried to push it all out of his mind, for now, and turned to face Lavinia a little better, trying to think of something to say. But, as he wasn't quite as socially adept as his older brother was, it ended up just;

"So, uhm.... yeah... Hi."

However, more socially verdant than Dominic or not, he still had managed to be somewhat influenced by him: His gaze fell on the opened beer bottle in front of him, registering it for the first time, and after a moment of hesitation, he shook his head, and gave Lavinia an apologetic smile.

"Thanks, but I can't accept it. Nicky's strictly forbidden me to drink anything that's been out of my sight, and that was opened when I wasn't watching."

It probably made him sound like a total geek, and in front of Lavinia and the others, too, but he still remembered the way that Dominic had made him swear never to drink from a glass or a bottle that had been left unattended, even before he'd explained why to his then fourteen year old little brother. It had made quite an impression on Daniel, for Dominic to be so deadly serious about something as he'd been about this, and so it was an advice he'd always made sure to follow.

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
Scholar
Original Poster
#82 Old 11th Feb 2010 at 6:52 PM
Default Madison - Co-ordinators' main office
Soft breathing slithered through the still air as intertwined bodies shifted, a woman gasping at the prickle in her muscles as her slender leg slowly slid up, the soft soles of her feet trailing against the cheap cotton of the sofa as her toe pointedly dug in, against the body locked onto her own. Her breasts heaved with a sigh as she felt the weight on top of her move, her hands slowly trailing up the arms, her muscles flexing as she arched back and her body writhed momentarily to let the tension seep out of her and relief in as her dark chestnut locks fell away from her high cheekbones, caressing the smoothness of her skin and ground against the armrest of the sofa, fluid against the roughness that seared the back of her elegant neck as she craned back, lips parting in a groan that weaved through the air, baby blue eyes opening to the harsh light of day.
Her head felt it’d had had cat howling in it all night – which she figured could be said for some of the groupies – and she had the beginnings of a hangover.

Madison had had another late night... or early morning. Minefield – the band – had arrived a day too early, and she’d had to immediately go salvage the situation and at one point, the selfish f*cks almost pulled out of playing at Syrinx altogether, and Madison had had to play nice with the tripped out folk to see things her way. So, of course she’d been lenient with the party, of course she hadn’t questioned the ages of the tight top, short skirts clad groupies that ventured in, and of course she’d dabbled a bit herself; all to build good relations. That wasn’t why she’d stayed, though, and that wasn’t why she’d spent her time with the drummer, Evan Michaels; that was because the man was a good kisser, and he could work wonders with his hands.
But he passed out before anything more could happen, and Madison wasn’t sure whether that was good thing or not. She wasn’t entirely sure whether she wanted it or not.
It wouldn’t really mean anything anyway, and partly, she was fine with that; to get laid, have a good time and not care much more beyond that. But not forever, though.... maybe.

Damn. Her eyes focused onto the clock on the table and... damn. She was going to be late. She shifted, only to groan heavily at the feel of her brain seeming to crash against her skull and she felt it all sink, and partly for the body on top of her that weighed down like a log. Her eyes glanced down and question and turned to a frown;
Who the hell is this chick? What the f*ck is she doing on my boobs?
Madison scowled with exasperation and annoyance as to how she always ended up with other people on top of her, with their sluggish log of a body liberally crushing, and pushed slightly, only to have the other girl slide off onto the floor with a small thud and she mere grimaced in her sleep. Oh, and uh, she wasn’t a she; she was a he who looked like a she and he’d spent the entire night groping her boobs with his mouth. Perv.
She swung her legs over down to the ground again, her feet grazing against the carpet and what she was sure was someone’s arm and she almost tripped in trying to regain her balance, her eyes catching Evan still passed out near the couch. Nice.

It took her a couple more minutes to find her shoes – buried somewhere in the rubble of bodies – and she decided against wearing them on her trek back to the office. She needed a shower, and the office had an en suite – organisers worked day and night, and had to be presentable all the time – and she kept a spare set of clothes there, for emergencies, because a lot of the time, it was the case that Madison didn’t have time to get a change of clothes; she lived on a rush and she made no apologies for it.

Right now, though, with this being the big day, she had to rush anyway, getting to the office rather sneakily and then shot into the bathroom to strip off the clothes from the previous night, her naked form soon surrendered to the cascade of heated water flickering down over her skin and she took all of five minutes, stepping out to wrap herself in a towel, using the built in hairdryer to relieve just enough of the dampness in her hair – she didn’t have time for a full blow dry – slipping into a black bra that plumply held up her bosom and a pair of lacy black panties – you never know, what comes your way – underneath a rather flimsy white shirt coupled to a black miniskirt, finished off with her dominatrix boots, some make-up, and she was dressed and ready.
And Christ... it was like they were out to screw her over. The bands started arriving and bickering over the allocated spots, the props weren’t getting to the right stages, the schedules had to be revised again, random advertising companies decided they had an axe to grind over time allocations and for cryin’ out loud, she thought she’d stick them all in a ditch somewhere. She was pretty pissed off about all of it; what, couldn’t the morons maybe just try to make things a little easier for her? She was supposed to organise things, and she was supposed to be able to count of them to act like something more than a bunch of trained apes, but noooo.... Mostly, she just didn’t want to screw up. Finally it all came together, and the launch party was a go. Finally.
But Madison hung around in the office, finalising details for tomorrow, her long legs resting against the wooden table as she reclined in the office chair, a cigarette nestling in the crevice of her plump lips and she inhaled deep, eyes shutting as the stress drained out of her body, the letting the smoke seep out, her tapering fingers momentarily playing with it before she set it down on the ashtray, taking a moment out.

"Life is just a chance to grow a soul" - A. Powell Davies
Alchemist
#83 Old 15th Feb 2010 at 3:41 PM
Default Lavinia, with Danny - VIP lounge



Lavinia didn't currently envy any of the parties involved in this sudden debacle: not Dominic, caught with his hand in the cookie jar, literally, not Lara, who had to endure the public revelation that her boyfriend was cheating on her, and not Danny, left on his own with a bunch of rowdy strangers and very little time to take it all in. On some level, she'd always held the vague assumption that Lara had some idea of what Dominic was up to – women had a way of knowing those things, and the two of them had been together longer than all of Lavinia's relationships put together – but the blank shock painted upon her face a few moments earlier told otherwise. As for Danny, he looked like someone had just taken his whole image of his brother and trampled it into the dust in front of him – which was precisely what had happened.

In light of all this, Lavinia's first thought was that he could probably use a drink. It tended to have a grounding effect on her when she was rattled or irritated, like a long, steadying gulp of air. A cigarette went nicely with it, but for Danny, she figured a beer would do. She had no idea how used he was to alcohol, so beer first; now that he was there, Lavina's curiosity regarding Nicky's younger brother returned, and this was a good opportunity to get to know him a bit; she'd just have wished to do so in a less awkward situation.

"Yeah... I know who you are", the young man began shyly, "Hi... And yeah, I'm okay, I'm just..."

"Has he done that before?"

Ah....Lavinia hesitated there, for she really didn't want to be the one to rat Dominic out to his brother, and she wasn't sure she had the heart to lie to him. He seemed so...beat up about it, in a self-conscious sort of way, so unlike Dominic, though as it turned out, Lavinia was spared the need to give an answer, for almost immediately, Danny added:

"Actually, nevermind, it's none of my business."

Adorably shy and level-headed; definitely skipped a generation there. Not one generally lost for words, this one time Lavinia couldn't think of much to say and instead offered a sympathetic smile; the kid deserved an explanation, that was for sure, but it had to come from Dominic. In the meantime, she resolved to play nice, and hopefully get him to relax a little, maybe take his mind off things for a while.


"So, uhm.... yeah... Hi."
Danny continued rather awkwardly, clearly a bit intimidated by the situation, his gaze then dropping to the bottle of beer Lavinia had placed in front of him.

"Thanks, but I can't accept it." he apologized. "Nicky's strictly forbidden me to drink anything that's been out of my sight, and that was opened when I wasn't watching."

Lavinia's brows shot upwards with concealed amusement – oh, had he now? So much for Nicky pretending he wasn't an overprotective big brother, and ironic considering he tended to drink whatever he could get his hands on. It was also safe to say Danny very much looked up to his brother, which made his trip back down to Earth all the more violent, no doubt.

"I think I'll dare a little sip though", Lavinia answered with a playful wink and took a swig from the bottle, then signaled Josh, the guy sitting across the table from them and nearest to the edge.

"Hey Josh, will you do me a favor and get us some beers? Unopened this time", treating him to a coy look when he peered at her reluctantly, a brilliant grin lighting up her face when Josh started to get to his feet with a deep sigh.

"You're a gem!" she called after him, then turned her attention back to Danny as she reclined sideways on the table surface, supported by one elbow, her oval face framed by black and red tresses.

"Better not give Nicky the impression I was trying to corrupt you, eh?" she added jokingly, but in a silky tone that was every so slightly stirring of a man's imagination.

If wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets
Scholar
Original Poster
#84 Old 16th Feb 2010 at 11:43 PM
Default Lara and Dominic - Outside

Honestly, Lara didn’t know whether it was an accusation or a confession.
It was true, every syllable; she had missed him, so much. She’d missed hearing his voice around the place, she missed the way he’d get instantly enthusiastic about things in a way she could only really watch, she missed his witticisms and his energy, she missed the intimacy they shared, she’d missed waking up to him, her arms entwined with his, even how he’d leave his clothes all splayed across the floor when unpacking.
She missed the way he was all hers. When they were alone, when it was just them.

Lara knew well of Dominic’s need for attention, she knew well of his tendencies to put on a show when around others, and how there were certain things that she could tease him about in private that wouldn’t be okay in public (which could be said about any relationship, she guessed) and she knew when something was wrong, and when and how to talk to him about it. Over the years, he’d become an open book to her and she she’d memorised every word, every phrase. She knew him well and to her, he was hers as much as she was his.
It wasn’t that Lara insisted that he ditched all of his friends and engagements to devote time to her and it wasn’t as if she was like any of those women who two people became one in a relationship. Dominic and she had she knew his need to social interaction. But when that was over, it was them.

She’d always figured that was real. Not that that was the real Dominic lying against her as the warmth of their forms congregated in the silence, because she knew that he didn’t fake. That Dominic was just another part of Dominic as a whole and while she adored him at every minute, those alone moments were when she was in her element were when she really felt close to him. So that was hers, it was her territory, it was her he chose to come home to, and her he chose to share his bed with.
That wasn’t real anymore.
Granted, yes, she just seen that girl fondling him in the party, but Lara had arrived at that point of wondering whether giving Dominic the benefit of the doubt was naive or just stupid.
Mostly, she just wanted it to not be true. She wanted him to come up with some perfectly understandable explanation as to why she’d seen what she’d seen and she’d feel a little sheepish about it, and they’d laugh about it for a while and somehow it’d affirm her insecurities over it. That was what she wanted, because a part of her was still reluctant to believe the implications.
What if it was true and it didn’t matter? What did that make her?

"I've missed you too,” he said, the curve of his lips speaking of the tenderness between them as his warm knuckles gently caressed her cheek, her eyes drifting momentarily to close as she inclined her small face towards his hands, her lips softly brushing against the very corner of it before she straightened up as his posture sank with a sigh into the depths of regret and she knew, undeniably. She knew it was exactly what it seemed, and she knew that she wasn’t going to like what she was about to hear, and she knew it was as difficult for him.
She didn’t know what it was. She didn’t know whether it was him letting her go, but still feeling the melancholy because they’d been together for so long, because she was a part of his life even if she was no longer given the importance of being the one to share his life. She wasn’t sure whether he wanted to be “just friends” and she wasn’t sure whether she could do that.
She wasn’t sure whether she could smile and be platonic with him while she watched others take up the place she had with him, the one she’d never really seen herself no longer having.
She didn’t know what to expect, and even if she did, she had no idea what she was going to do about it, if there was anything to be done about it.
"Baby, look...,” he began with hesitation staining his voice and she swallowed slightly, preparing herself, and yet, she was sure that look of dreaded anticipation coloured her angelic face with her hopeful, yet resignedly raised brows and the small part of her lips, as she looked up at him, knowing she wasn’t really ready to handle anything he was about to tell her, but telling herself that she had to. With every syllable, her heart welled just a little bit more and she just wished she could forward this conversation to it’s and, or that someone would come and tell her it’d turn out okay. Or not. "I've done some things lately that I'm not too proud of."

At first she just gave a small nod as her eyes tore themselves away from the face that’d stolen thousands of girls’ hearts along with her own and dropped to the ground momentarily as her shallow breath pushed out of her lips in a moment of taking it in. “Some things”. How many times?
Why?
Lavinia, that was all real, then? And others, probably. Why wasn’t she enough for him?
She kept herself from crying as she felt her insides sink within her.
She was better off knowing, she was sure of it.

"Life is just a chance to grow a soul" - A. Powell Davies
Retired Moderator
retired moderator
#85 Old 18th Feb 2010 at 7:07 PM
Default Daniel and Lavinia - VIP lounge


If it hadn't registered in Daniel's mind before, now, sitting by the table with a bunch of people he didn't really know, under circumstances that he really wasn't used to - counting not only the discovery made about Dominic, but everything - it was fast becoming more and more obvious to him how new he was to this kind of scene. Yes, he'd been in similar club environments before when watching Dominic's various bands perform, and while he was rather shy, he wasn't a complete social recluse, and so could be around crowds of people without wanting to run away screaming. But as Daniel himself did prefer smaller and calmer gatherings, whenever he'd been in environments similar to this one, it had been because of Dominic and, more importantly with Dominic. Dominic had always been around, and so Daniel had always been dealt the part of Dominic's kid brother. Now all of a sudden, he found himself alone with all these people, with Dominic off somewhere to talk to Lara, and it was as though that somehow made all the difference in the world. As though all of a sudden, Daniel was made his own person, rather than being just Dominic's little brother. A young man, like so many others around the table, albeit quite a bit younger than them too. He'd even been offered a beer, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.
Not that he'd never had it before - he'd just graduated high school, so of course he'd both had beer and been drunk - but around his brother's crowd, he'd always felt as though they'd seen him as some kind of an innocent kid. But, as it was turning out, with Dominic no longer around, that was no longer the case. Or maybe it was the fact that he was actually about to turn eighteen, and also hadn't met most of these people before? Maybe since they hadn't met him while he WAS still just a kid, and Dominic wasn't here to treat him like one, they actually didn't see him as one either?

In a way, that made him feel really good. Validated somehow, as himself. And in another, it made him feel so very, very awkward, and self-conscious, without Dominic or even Lara there for him to lean on, because it meant he was on his own, in a situation that, truth be told, he wasn't entirely comfortable with.
Thankfully, the others seemed to realize that, and were kind enough to not make it worse, but rather seemed to try to want to make him feel at ease, and relax. Lavinia especially.

Noting how her eyebrows quirked upwards in apparent surprise at his comment about Dominic warning him about drinks and opened bottles - yeah, with Dominic hardly practicing the same caution himself, Daniel could see what she must be thinking - he couldn't help but to smile in amusement himself, glad to find that she took that approach, instead of looking at him as though he was some kind of a prude.

"I think I'll dare a little sip though", she said and shot him a wink while bringing the bottle to her plump, painted lips and sampling it's contents, before turning her attention to some guy across the table, and by doing so, hopefully not noticing the way that the wink, despite being just a playful gesture, sent another wave of a pinkish hue to wash over Daniel's cheeks.

He wasn't really one to get all starstruck, and he'd seen Lavinia plenty of times before, in various pictures, and on TV on occasion, along with some of the many video clips around the web. But none of that had completely captured her allure, and the raw sensuality just oozing from her in a way that hit even a guy like Daniel - or maybe especially a guy like him, considering his lack of experience with girls like her - right in the gut. Real, and not blatantly in your face, like with some girls who just tried too hard to be enticing. No, this was a kind of relaxed and sort of only semi-aware sensuality that, at least to Daniel, felt genuine, and thus so much more potent for it.
Then again, considering he was new to the type, what did he really have to compare with? But even so, she was making quite the impression on the young man, who just watched in slight awe as she worked that female magic of hers by wrapping that guy across the table - Josh - around her little finger with a look of coquetry and a radiant smile, prompting him to just get up and go off to fetch her the unopened beers she had requested.

"You're a gem!", she called out as he left, and then turned back to face Daniel again, whose eyes had now settled back on her, after having flicked back and forth between her and Josh. "Better not give Nicky the impression I was trying to corrupt you, eh?"

Her voice was playful and filled with jest, but even so, there was still that velvety undertone to it, that would have any man thinking she was making insinuations. Or, if nothing else, hoping she was. And frankly, it left Daniel feeling tongue-tied at first, at an initial loss for something to say. He wasn't entirely alien to being flirted with, even if just for fun, nor was he a stranger to flirting back, but this was all a whole different ball game than he was used to, and so it took him a moment or two to dismiss all the utterly uncool replies that popped into his head, that would make him sound like a complete dork. Though the hesitation didn't stop another smile from forming on his lips, and soon enough, he managed an actual reply;

"And here I was thinking he'd handed over the reins to someone more capable", he said with a slight grin. "Considering he's been trying, and failing, for years."

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
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#86 Old 18th Feb 2010 at 9:11 PM Last edited by AtropaMandragora : 6th Jul 2010 at 11:52 AM.
Default Dominic and Lara - outside VIP lounge


How easy it would have been to lie. To just flat out lie, and tell Lara that what she had seen back there in the lounge was nothing, that it was just Dominic indulging a fan a little, playing his part of celebrity with a pinch of generosity, and making just a little part of the girl's dreams come true. Just because he was a nice guy, who cared about his fans, and nothing more. Just because as an artist, he delivered, and not because he really had any intimate intentions with having his arm around the girl's shoulder and was letting her map out his chest and thighs with her hands. It would have been so easy, to just lie and make everything okay with Lara. Especially when he saw the look in her eyes as they met with his, the hope therein, the wish for him to soothe her worries and just laugh it off. And the hurt and the dread when his sigh had told her that there was nothing whatsoever to laugh about, and her gaze sank away from his in fearful anticipation of hearing what exactly he'd done, that he claimed to not be too proud of.

But he couldn't lie. A part of him wanted to, because he really didn't want to hurt her and, in all honesty, he didn't want to suffer the consequences of it either. He wanted to be with her and make up for lost time, not argue or spend this time together feeling rotten and possibly being yelled at.
At the same time, the bigger part of him didn't want to lie. It didn't want to, and even if it had, it couldn't. He wouldn't insult her by doing that to her, or even by lying by omission. No matter how much easier it would have made things if he had, and no matter how much he would have preferred it that she'd never found out about what he'd been up to. He wouldn't treat her with such disrespect.

Though it wasn't easy, to find the right words. Especially not when Lara herself just lowered her head, and said nothing. Dominic didn't want to make it worse than it had to be, by going into details or telling her the how's, the when's, the where's and with how many. If he could just be honest without providing her imagination with too much fuel, or her mind with too many mental pictures of him doing the dirty with someone else, he would. If she asked, he would of course tell her. He'd do it most reluctantly, but he would tell her. But if she didn't... it might be for the better. For the both of them. Maybe.

Or maybe not. Dominic couldn't help but to want to explain that they hadn't been that many. At least not the ones that he'd actually banged. There had been a few, yeah, but... most of the encounters he had with groupies had been limited to other types of sexual activities. So to speak. And he couldn't help but to feel that he wanted to mention that, so that Lara wouldn't think it was something he did every day. He just did it when it all got to be too much for him, and those girls were there, and it felt as though a while on his own or on the phone with Lara wouldn't be enough to give him the release he needed. And besides... Being treated to oral sex wasn't as bad as actual intercourse, right? Technically, it was even in the grey area between cheating and not cheating, because it wasn't like he actually did anything. Well, minus the kissing that lead up to it, but that still wasn't as bad as taking things all the way.
Though that was of course Dominic's view of his own part in what he'd done with those groupies. He was still sensible enough to realize that Lara might not fully agree. But even so, she still ought to be able to see the difference. Right?

"Look...", he started again, and ran a hand through his hair that made it stand on end, before it slowly sank back down to once again get in his face, and he reached out to gingerly touch Lara's upper arm with his hand, while seeking her gaze again through the ebony curtain hanging into his eyes. "It's only happened a few times, and... almost all of them just blew me, and that was it. And it didn't mean anything, it was just sex. It didn't mean anything. I mean... I still love you, so much. I do."

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
Alchemist
#87 Old 23rd Feb 2010 at 8:50 PM
Default Lavinia & Danny - VIP Lounge


Every line of work came with a specific kind of territory attached, and a usual crowd that you inevitably bumped into time and time again. In Lavinia's case, this included members of various other bands, the crew, and on a smaller scale, the organizers, agents and, of course, the fans. As for her personal social circle, excluding her bandmates, it tended to vary wildly, and encounters depended much on shared tour or show schedules, when the various bands and their members came into contact and had the chance to catch up. The gregarious young woman that she was, Lavinia had never found it difficult to get along with people on a shallow level, and being surrounded by different faces every day was very much part of her lifestyle. Most of these were acquaintances, fellow party-goers, rather than close friends, but the hedonist in Lavinia didn't mind: she had her friends too, after all, and there was nothing wrong with simply enjoying herself in the company of others, even if they weren't particularly tight.

The general atmosphere tended to be a light-hearted, riotous one, with plenty of alcohol to feed the spirit and few inhibitions; other substances weren't uncommon either, and the three main things on everyone's minds tended to be: fun, booze and sex. It wasn't a scene for the faint-hearted and newcomers either shed their reserve and went with the flow or risked ending up on the sidelines, as outsiders looking in. This wasn't necessarily due to arrogance or malicious intent, but rather the tendency of the loudest voices to drown out the rest.

Dominic belonged to the loud group, no doubt about it, his antics having earned him something of an infamous status among the regulars, and Lavinia, bona fide party girl, was not far behind. She didn't lack male attention, which during these parties tended to be the brash, forward kind, sometimes even bordering on rudeness, and so, so very unlike Danny's demure approach. She'd been observing him closely for signs of discomfort, because, well, she could tell he was far from at ease with the current arrangement, for more than one reason. Lavinia couldn't erase what he'd seen from his mind, but she could at least ensure he wasn't overwhelmed by the rest of the group. At the moment, most of the others seemed to find what Rick was saying quite interesting, and highly amusing judging by the frequent snorts or laughter that rose above Rick's hoarse voice, so if anyone noticed Danny's slight discomfort, they kept it to themselves.

Accustomed to dealing with Dominic and the like, Lavinia's impish disposition was easily stirred, and most of the times she felt more at ease around confident people who could take some banter without retreating back into their shell. In Danny's case it was quite endearing though, maybe because he didn't cling to it too much, and indeed he seemed to be relaxing a bit. She took the opportunity to give him a closer look, finding it interesting how his features bore a resemblance to Dominic, but carried a completely different vibe. He was somewhere between being a boy and a man, and cute as hell, so Lavinia was sorely tempted to take the game a little further, because it was obvious he wasn't exactly indifferent to her. All in good fun, and not outrageously teasing like she was known to be towards certain young and starstruck fans, for she had promised to play nice, and even if she hadn't, she wanted Danny to unwind and have fun. Most women her age might have felt awkward about flirting with an 18 year old, but not Lavinia; what mattered more was the fact that he was Dominic's kid brother. Then again, it wasn't like she intended to get him into bed, so...just harmless fun, right?

At first, Danny took her comment with some of the same timidity that seemed to characterize him, but Lavinia waited, one elbow on the table and her arms crossed lightly on her chest, and a look of coy amusement on her face. Guys were so much cuter than girls when they got all tongue-tied, she thought, though Danny recovered quite swiftly and a reply soon followed:


"And here I was thinking he'd handed over the reins to someone more capable"
he said with a grin that Lavinia thought was somewhat reminiscent of Nicky's, "Considering he's been trying, and failing, for years."

She chuckled openly at this, her eyes narrowing, catlike, beneath rows of mascaraed lashes: so, not quite so bashful, after all, was he? Maybe what he needed was a helping hand in further lowering some of those inhibitions, and speaking of which, Josh had just made his way back to the table, carrying four beers: two for himself and his catch of the day, and two for Danny and Lavinia, left unopened as per her request. He placed those before them with a bored glance, though when Lavinia raised her gaze, a smile lurked at the corners of his mouth: Josh like to posturize, but he was really a nice guy.

Grabbing Danny's bottle first, Lavinia propped the top end against the edge of the table and gave it a decisive pull, which sent the cap popping right off. Some foam spilled on her fingers and trickled down her arm, which she wiped with a chuckle before handing it back to Danny.

"Obviously, he's been using the wrong approach" she told him as she scooted a bit closer and lowered her head to speak into his ear.

"I won't tell if you don't." she then added playfully, with a the air of someone suggesting a minor conspiracy.

And having said that, Lavinia bumped bottles with Danny in the universal invitation to drink up, and took a long, satisfying gulp of cold, bitter goodness.


((ooc: Been struggling with this one, let me know if you need more to work with.))

If wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets
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#88 Old 25th Feb 2010 at 11:10 PM Last edited by AtropaMandragora : 1st Mar 2010 at 10:35 PM. Reason: Added outfit
Default Rio with Brad and later Arnold - VIP lounge


It felt almost unreal. After having spent the past couple of months fishing for information from his father, the Internet, various magazines, and even probing Lara ever so slightly and inconspicuously to find out what she might know about her boyfriend's female band mate, all Rio's efforts were boiling down to this moment in time, when he for the first time saw Lavinia Sinclair in the flesh. He still wasn't one hundred percent sure that she was the one, the one he was looking for, because he hadn't dared tell his father that he had tracked down who he believed to be his father's ex-fiancé, nor had he dared to contact her to ask her about Lavinia, so neither of them had been able to in any way confirm or deny that Rio was on the right track. But, judging by what information he had managed to acquire, the indications were strong that it really was her that was the sister his father had once mentioned. Her background fit, her statements in the media about her family - although often kept fairly generic - fit, and... well... from what Rio had seen of her, she really appealed to him, as did the thought of having her as a sister. Not that such a feeling really proved anything, but hope did sometimes tend to lend it's strength to conviction, and make people feel certain of things they didn't really know enough about to be certain of. Though Rio, despite his young age, was one of the people sensible enough to realize this, and so wasn't letting his imagination run away with him just yet.

Not that it stopped his heart from skipping a beat when his eyes fell on Lavinia, and then sticking there, as the sight of her rendered him unable to tear his gaze away. For several seconds he just looked at her, studying her, drinking in what she really looked like - photos and TV had a tendency to make people look different somehow - until finally Brad gave him a playful nudge.

"Hey", he said with a soft smile, as if to gently stir his boyfriend from his thoughts. "Rio, don't stare."

Rio's eyes instantly flicked over to Brad's face, then back to Lavinia's, only to return to Brad's a split second later, and his lips cracked apart in a somewhat embarrassed smile, as Brad's words registered in his mind.

"I didn't mean to", he excused himself. "It's just..."

"I know", Brad smiled, knowing all too well how excited Rio had been about the chances of finally getting to meet the beautiful keyboard player of Deus Ex Machina here at the festival, and currently finding his distraction too adorable to resist. "C'mere."

Lightly grabbing Rio's chin with his index finger and thumb, he tilted his young boyfriend's face up towards his own, in order to claim his lips in a soft, enticing kiss, not entirely without an ulterior motive. Just like he knew how excited Rio had been about possibly meeting Lavinia, Brad also knew just what a sucker Rio was for kisses like that, how willingly he gave into them, and how easy they made him. Not that Brad was currently aiming to drag Rio away from the lounge to be alone - that was a plan for later - but the two of them hadn't gotten to see each other very much over the last couple of weeks, and Brad wanted to make up for lost time. Plus, the taste of Rio on his lips always left him wanting more. Thus, as Brad's arm wrapped tightly around Rio's waist and pulled him closer, that first kiss ended up turning into a second one, and then a third, the seconds soon melding together into a full minute or so, before the two young men's lips finally parted, and Rio peered up at Brad with mock suspicion in his eyes.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to distract me."

Brad grinned widely at him.

"Guilty as charged", he admitted, but then let go of Rio's slender frame while adding: "Nah, I wouldn't do that. Not now. I know how important this is to you."

Rio glanced over at Lavinia again, this time finding her engaged in a conversation with the brown-haired young man that had arrived about the same time as Dominic and Lara had left - he'd noticed it was Lara only once she and Dominic were on their way towards the exit, and hadn't wanted to bother them, since the very air about them had spelled private matters - and who, by the looks of it, seemed rather timid, almost intimidated even, when one saw the look in his eyes. Though, who could blame him? Lavinia did have that sexual predator look about her, that would have any young man thinking she had guys like them for breakfast. Rio himself was unsure of how to approach her, although in his case the intentions of doing so would be rather different from the norm...

He didn't want to just go up to her and blurt out "Hiya, sis!". Not when not knowing for sure that she really was his sister, and especially not when knowing how delicate a matter such as this was likely to be, and what a shock it might end up being for her. Rio himself had had plenty of time to get used to the idea, but Lavinia... While he kind of didn't have any other option than to spring it all on her from out of the blue, there was a better time and place to do it than in a loud and rowdy lounge, with people all around, and the alcohol flowing freely. It wouldn't be fair of him to bring it up under the current circumstances. And even if it had been, Rio still felt that he'd kind of need to work up the nerve, because once he took the plunge, there'd be no turning back. Once he said those words, he couldn't take them back, and undo whatever reaction they would cause. So, he wanted to prepare, to get an idea of what she was like by watching her for a little bit at first, and maybe get some clue as to how to best approach her about it all.

The only problem was; how? He and Brad couldn't exactly just plop themselves down around the table from out of nowhere, and watching from a distance was impossible, since people would get in the way and also drown out everything that was said at the table, leaving Rio with only the occasional glimpse. He needed something more solid.

As it would turn out, however, luck was on his side tonight, because only seconds after he'd started to ponder a possible way in, one was handed to him on a silver platter, and through Brad no less, when suddenly one of the guys near the other end of the long table leaned back in his chair and gave a shout and a wave, to get his attention.

"'Ey!", he called out, and upon having both Rio's and Brad's gazes - among others - landing on him, continued; "Aren't you that guy from that band, Andromeda or something?"

A look of flattered surprise claimed Brad's features; the band wasn't all that known, and so he wasn't used to being recognized.

"Tears of Andromeda, yeah", he said while grabbing Rio's hand and pulling him with him to draw closer.

"I saw you guys play in Chicago a couple of weeks ago", the other guy, a black-haired one with a pair of sunglasses pushed on top of his head, said, and gave a look of approval. "Not bad."

"Thanks!", Brad beamed, and drew a grin from Rio as well, since as a friend of Brad's, he of course also enjoyed hearing the guys of the band get some acknowledgement for their work.

"Why don't you two join us?"

The black-haired man gestured towards the barely available spot near his own, at the short end of the table.

"Take a seat."

"Sure, thanks", Brad said, after exchanging the briefest of smiles with Rio, both at the invitation itself, and the unexpected helping hand it offered.

Rio's hand still in his at first, he then pushed himself past two random guys, and eased himself into the barely there open spot on the leather cushioned bench. He did not, however, intend for Rio to go without a seat and remain standing, and so while he let his hand go, he wrapped his arm around Rio's waist instead, and pulled him down onto his lap, causing Rio's initial sounds of protest at being robbed of his balance to turn into a soft laugh emitting from his throat instead.

"Ah, here I was thinking I wouldn't get a seat at all", he said with a grin, "and I end up with the best one in the house! Lucky me."

At that, Brad just laughed, and gave him a light, teasing poke in the side that made him flinch, before turning his head to face the guy that had invited them to the table in the first place, and in doing so finding that both he and Rio were being studied with a faintly amused smile.

"Arnold", the guy then said and reached to shake hands with the both of them; Brad first, and then Rio. "Arnold Freidman. Damage."

"Brad Dreyer, 'Andromeda something'", said Brad with a smile, and then motioned his head towards Rio. "Rio Adams, my boyfriend."

The introduction was one that had both him and Rio watching Arnold's face for a reaction, as they were both fairly used to seeing apprehension, aversion and sometimes even disgust fill the eyes of whoever had been presented with it. The world had grown a lot more open minded in general over the past couple of decades, but homophobia was still going strong in quite a few people, and so you never knew when it would rear it's ugly head.

Thankfully, Arnold didn't seem to react at all, perhaps already tipped off by their seating arrangements and comments thereof, but just simply gave a casual smile and a nod of acknowledgement. After that, it wasn't long before the two somewhat older guys had become engulfed by a conversation about their main common field of interest, namely music, while the younger one, Rio, followed in it only half-heartedly, going back to paying more attention to the young woman at the other end of the table instead, through frequent glances, as well as the occasional longer peek, whenever Brad wasn't sneaking him a kiss or a caress along his back or his thigh, almost like silent apologies for leaving him feeling left out. Which frankly he didn't. He welcomed the chance to observe Lavinia, though he was careful not to blatantly stare at her for long periods of time, but instead kept his gaze roaming the crowd around the table, only touching on Lavinia far more frequently than on the rest.


(((ooc: Rio's outfit, since I haven't been able to fit it into his posts.)))

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
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#89 Old 27th Feb 2010 at 3:55 PM Last edited by AtropaMandragora : 2nd Mar 2010 at 3:25 PM. Reason: spelling
Default Daniel and Lavinia - VIP lounge


'He's been trying, and failing, for years'. Perhaps it hadn't been the most truthful statement of the decade, but really, that all depended on how one looked at it. Daniel was maybe a little naive and inexperienced, but he wasn't dim-witted. He knew Dominic liked to put on a show of how he was teaching his little brother the arts of being a man - consisting mainly of handling women, booze, and various other vices - what with having offered him drinks and cigarettes and whatnot over the past couple of years, whenever Daniel had been around for a party where Dominic was also on the guest list. But he was also aware of how those drinks and cigarettes tended to eventually end up in Dominic's own hand rather than in Daniel's, and so he knew it was mostly just that; a show. He knew that deep down Dominic was the same protective big brother he'd always been, ever since they were kids. What he didn't know, was if these acts of protectiveness were conscious and intentional, or just an ingrained behaviour; if they were of genuine protectiveness, or "accidental" and circumstantial. But either way, the statement was still at least partly true, because regardless of whether Dominic had really tried to corrupt his kid brother, or just tried to make it seem like he was, the end result was the same; Daniel still wasn't anywhere near as depraved as Dominic was, and frankly, he doubted he ever would be. Most people who knew the two brothers probably did. Daniel just didn't seem to have a single obnoxious bone in his body. His brother had apparently gotten them all. Though that didn't mean that Daniel couldn't play along in big brother Dominic's games, or that he didn't enjoy them. Especially not in the current company, which seemed to appreciate them just as much as Dominic did, and was mostly the reason why Daniel was currently engaging in them. 'When in Rome', and all that jazz. He didn't want to be seen as boring by being as withdrawn as he usually might be in places such as this. Lavinia was kindly making an effort to make him feel welcome and at ease, he realized that, and he didn't want to come across as being impolite or dull or difficult, and so he was making a conscious effort to venture out of the shell that usually surrounded him at least initially in new situations. Not that he had to try too hard, because Lavinia really made it quite easy for him, being open and engaging in herself, the type of person that was easy to be around because she seemed so undemanding of her company, like she had no real expectations and wasn't trying to force something out of them just for the sake of it, whether reactions or words. Talking to her was... not undramatic exactly, considering it was far from the usual rigid and cold small talk about the weather, and also considering she was having quite the effect on him, but it was still so very... liberating, in a way? Light-hearted, even.

The only thing that made it slightly awkward here and there, were Daniel's momentary bouts of hesitation, when he got tongue-tied and couldn't think of something to say. Though thankfully, there weren't too many of them. So far, anyway. There'd only been a couple of initial ones, the first following the introduction, and then just now, when Lavinia got somewhat flirty with him, and he at first didn't know what to say. But as she didn't tease him about it, nor did anyone else, or even point it out, it was as though it had gone by unnoticed. She simply laughed at what he said and, as it was just then that Josh guy returned from the bar to hand them their beers, went on to open them both against the edge of the table, with almost every bit the expertise of a practised party animal, save for the few droplets that spilled onto her skin in the process.

"Obviously, he's been using the wrong approach", she then purred in Daniel's ear, after having handed him the bottle and slipped closer to him in a - to him - bold move that had the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he felt the humid warmth her breath wash against his skin, and her scent trickle into his nostrils.

For a split second, he felt his lungs seize, and he could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. At that moment, he felt almost like a little kid who'd been trying to fill his father's all too big shoes. Or rather, his brother's. Daniel just wasn't at all on par with Dominic's propensity for playful and flirtatious banter, and so in that instant felt completely out of his depth. Like he'd just jumped into the water only to discover that it was far too deep, and he couldn't touch the bottom.

Thankfully, he was given a free and much needed chance to hide his initial reaction, when after mischievously adding a "I won't tell if you don't", Lavinia gently knocked her bottle against his and then brought it to her lips for a long first swig of it's contents. Feeling very much that he needed a few moments to adjust to the thought of having her that close, and to regain his ability to speak without having it come out as complete nonsense, Daniel was quick to do the same, welcoming the taste of the smooth, bitter alcohol on his tongue. He even knocked back a second sip immediately after the first, though that time it was mostly for the actual taste, rather than the time it bought him.

Little good it did him, however, since just as he was lowering the bottle from his lips to put it down on the table, his eyes locked on something that for a moment stunned him, because of the sheer unexpectedness of it. On the other side of the table, two guys had just slipped into a passionate embrace, sharing a kiss so intimate that at first, Daniel could but stare, until hastily looking away a second later, in embarrassment and discomfort. Not because the act itself disgusted him - he'd seen guys kiss before, especially his brother and Asher, and he'd had no real problem with it, though in the case of Dominic and Asher he'd known it was just for fun anyway - but simply because, as naive as it was, it was perhaps the last thing he had expected to see, and because... well, for some reason, two guys kissing felt to him so much more private than a straight couple doing it, and so he made a conscious effort not to look over there again.

"Uh...", he started hesitantly, as he tried to find his mental way back to the conversation he had going with Lavinia; an endeavour that much to his relief turned out to be a successful one, and that grin from before slowly returned to his lips as he glanced up at her. "I'd be seriously worried if he'd used the same approach as you..."

Dominic might be sex on legs, as some girls online tended to put it in their comments on the guitarist's blog - though as a straight guy, and his little brother no less, Daniel didn't see it - but for him to get seductive and coy in his attempt to try and lure Daniel into the sea of vices that he himself enjoyed? Uh, NO. It was a scenario that was likely to end up giving both brothers de Vere nightmares.

"But who knows", Daniel then added innocently, fighting the sly twinkle in his eyes, "maybe he's just afraid of what I'll spill if I really get drunk."

Not that there were very many anecdotes about him that the exhibitionistic Dominic wouldn't gladly share himself - 'I don't care what you think, as long as it is about me' seeming to be his motto and all - but as his brother, Daniel was sitting on a goldmine, as far as Dominic's antics throughout the years was concerned.

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
Alchemist
#90 Old 2nd Mar 2010 at 4:08 PM
Default Lavinia & Danny - VIP Lounge



Flirting was a game to Lavinia Sinclair. Like so many other things, she took a half-joking, lighthearted approach to it, peppered with a bit of wit and provocation, and she indulged in it quite shamelessly. More often than not, the purpose was the game itself, the exchange of reactions that passed between the two (or more!) people involved which could reveal such delicious snipets of insight and surprise by their ability to keep her entertained. Buttons were there to be pushed, and sexuality an undeniable part of being human – why shouldn't she combine the two? Despite this, she managed not to come across as one of those outrageous flirts, girls who couldn't hold a conversation without flashing their tits and making bedroom eyes at the guy, of which she did neither. Lavinia did have an unmistakeable aura of sensuality about her, and had been known to be forward and direct, though never taking herself, or the little games she played, too seriously. What she did felt natural and unforced, because it was an extension of her naturally buoyant personality than anything else, and mostly for fun.

With Danny however, Lavinia had to ask herself what she was doing: flirting with an 18 year old? She felt she should have been embarrassed, but all that brought about was a smirk which she disguised by lifting the bottle to her lips and sipping more of its contents. A giddy disposition was beginning to rise up within her as the beer was starting to mix with the whiskey she'd had earlier, giving her head a bit of a buzz and bringing a cheeky grin to her lips. Nah, she was being a good girl, Lavinia reminded herself, just minimal banter and zero grabbery.. She resisted the impulse to wrap an arm around Danny's shoulders to give them a fond squeeze when she saw him seize up, and for a few moments ended up looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Then, a different kind of expression filled his eyes, one of utter surprise as he noticed something towards their right, then brusquely looked away in embarrassment. Curiosity piqued, Lavinia's gaze followed the same path and landed upon the entwined forms of two scene kids playing tonsil hockey a few seats away on the opposite side of the table. Unlike Danny however, she felt no trace of embarrassment, or anything else really, apart from a vague interest in finding out who the two guys were, for she didn't remember seeing either of them before. One for later, she decided and turned back to her companion, who appeared to have found his voice:

"Uh..." he said with some uncertainty, "I'd be seriously worried if he'd used the same approach as you..."

Ha! By pure instinct Lavinia threw her head back and let out a ring of laughter that fully mirrored the bout of amusement that comment had prompted: it...wasn't exactly what she'd meant, but it sure cracked her up! Funny yet wrong, oh so very wrong....She soon recovered, snickering under her breath, and during the brief moments her gaze roamed the table, she saw the dark-haired boy previously locking lips with his companion looking straight at her.

"But who knows", she heard Danny add and returned her focus back to him "maybe he's just afraid of what I'll spill if I really get drunk."

Lavinia perked up immediately, eyes narrowing with impish intent: ohhh, was he now? Dominic, bona fide attention whore, afraid what others thought of him? This was worth investigating, she grinned to herself and as she did so, peered along the length of the table, just about catching Emo Boy avert his gaze. Hum. Interesting...

"Oooh you mean to say you're in the possession of some particularly juicy Dominic-related gossip," Lavinia crooned, her eyes twinkling like two stars, "that I might be able to persuade you to divulge?"



If wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets
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#91 Old 4th Mar 2010 at 4:23 PM
Default Daniel and Lavinia - VIP lounge


Growing up with an ever evolving madcap like Dominic, at times life for Daniel had been... interesting, to say the least. Dominic's increasingly exhibitionistic side may have only started to truly flourish around his early or mid teens, but he'd always been a fun-loving and charismatic person, around whom life was rarely dull. Hence part of the reason why Daniel had always looked up to him, since even though he himself was comfortable taking things easy, and sometimes even valued solitude over the company of others, he saw the impact Dominic had on other people, and couldn't help but to be amazed at how bold and carefree he seemed to be, how he just tended to draw people in, and how he appeared to be perfectly unconcerned with what people (meaning, those who didn't know him) thought of him. He was who he was, he didn't apologize for it, and he was generous with himself. These days sometimes even too generous with himself, according to some. He often made himself the center of attention, and thus there weren't all too many things about him that remained secret. Except perhaps the really private stuff, that concerned not only Dominic, but those he cared for as well. Those things, he usually kept to himself, because he realized others may not be as comfortable as him with sharing things, and he respected it and, as he tended to be protective of those he cared about, even preferred it.

However, nowadays often sharing matters pertaining to himself or not, the past still harboured quite a few anecdotes that had yet to make it out of the circle of family and old, close friends. Daniel, having spent his entire life observing his older brother, had plenty of stories to share, about the many ways in which Dominic had managed to keep the people around him entertained, in one way or another. Or interested. Or downright horrified. Dominic never did lack a talent for drama, and for causing reactions. Like the time when aged seven, after a fight with their mother, he'd announced to their parents that he was running away from home, and then had dragged his three year old brother with him in the boys' play cart, to sit together at the corner down the street from their house for about half an hour, before Daniel's whining about wanting to go home had gotten on Dominic's nerves enough for him to give in. Though upon their return to the house, the official and rather haughtily delivered story had been that Dominic had simply felt sorry for their parents, since they must have been devastated, and thus had found it in his heart to forgive their mother for her wrongdoing.
Or the time when during the beginning of his freshman year in high school, Dominic had come home drunk for the first time, in the middle of the night, and scared their mother out of her wits, by tripping over his own feet at the bottom of the stairs, and ending up waking up the whole house with his racket, yelping out in surprise as he fell, then announcing to no one in particular that the stairs had moved when he was trying to go up then, and last but not least, bursting out laughing at it all.
He'd been grounded for a month.
Though unbeknownst to their parents, even to this day, he'd managed to sneak out of the house several times during those few weeks. Daniel was the only one besides Dominic's friends at the time, who knew about that. And he'd been paid handsomely back then to keep it that way; to a ten year-old, ten bucks had been a small fortune, and to have Dominic make his bed for a week... It had been so worth it.

Nowadays, these were the kinds of stories that Daniel knew people would have loved to hear about Dominic, and so he usually kind of held on to them even tighter. He hated it when people probed him about Dominic, knowing that their only interest in him, Daniel, was because of his famous brother, and that more often than not, it wasn't even because it was Dominic, but because it was someone famous, period. They just wanted something to gossip about, some little tidbit of information that they could then offer to the rest of the world, and feel special.

Therefore, had he been having this current conversation with someone else, he would have taken things in an entirely different direction. But, with Lavinia it was different, because unlike so many of those people dogging him for information, she actually knew Dominic and to a point, one could even say she lived with him. She herself was equally famous, and so Daniel knew that her interest in whatever gossip he might have to share about Dominic, it was not because of the fame, but because of Dominic, for Dominic's sake. So, when he saw the look on her face, of how his words pricked her ears, her interest clearly being piqued by his insinuation, he simply smirked, because it was honest, and the amusement of it all was mutual.

"Oooh you mean to say you're in the possession of some particularly juicy Dominic-related gossip that I might be able to persuade you to divulge?", she relished in her melodic voice, and there was no mistaking the mischief dancing in her eyes at the thought.

Which in turn left the young man next to her briefly wondering what exactly that "persuasion" might consist of. The term itself was innocent enough, and the light in her eyes did seem to be more about the prospect of getting something to tease Dominic about - and rightly so, if Dominic acted as cocky with her as he did with everyone else - than about her options when it came to Daniel. But she was still the kind of woman that could say one thing, and no matter how innocent it might be, it would still have men thinking along lines that were less than chaste. Even young, innocent men like Daniel, whose mind didn't tend to venture down these paths as easily, but which in the current company was undeniably feeling the sensuality of her being.

But no. He didn't ponder things any further than that, because as appealing and alluring as she was, the idea of actually doing anything with her was... far too odd and awkward for Daniel to take seriously. They were very different people, and while she was kind of flirting with him, he figured it was all just in good fun, because he was no more her type, than she was his. She was stunning, and sensual, and the kind of girl any young man would fantasize about, but from a realistic point of view, she was far too intense for someone like him. And to her, he was probably just a kid. So, he didn't read too much into it, but instead went with the angle he himself had presented her with.

"I grew up with him", he pointed out with a faint smirk. "I've got lots."

Then, his eyes narrowed slightly in mock suspicion.

"Though does that mean you intend to get me drunk?"

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
#92 Old 4th Mar 2010 at 5:40 PM
At about this time, a police cruiser pulls up at the front gate and the driver [an older officer] asks the people manning the gate ((there IS someone guarding the gate, right?)) to be put in touch with the local head of security. [There is also a younger officer in the "shotgun" seat, both officers male.]

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Alchemist
#93 Old 9th Mar 2010 at 1:58 PM
Default Lavinia, Danny and Rio - The VIP Lounge


Everyone had their guilty pleasures; for some, that entailed a secret stash of Britney Spears albums, others religiously watched soaps; in Lavinia's case, what she couldn't resist was a good story, especially when it featured someone she knew. She thrived on the outrageous and the amusing, delighting in little snippets of informations that offered something new, something unexpected; a rarer and rarer found those days. Essentially, it was gossip, but Lavinia mostly did it for the laughs, and though she wasn't above using it for teasing purposes, schadenfreude rarely came into play. Lavinia lived a too intense life to have time for catty rumours and the like, as for who was sleeping with who and the like, she could care less.

Where Dominic was concerned, unearthing any gossip about him was easier said than done, because he didn't exactly shy away from being the centre of attention, as for shame, he didn't have much. What most people would have wanted to keep private, he willingly shared with the world (even a bit too willingly at times, hence why his bandmates would often find themselves using the phrase "Too much information!"), but even he hadn't been born a confident exhibitionist, and if there was someone who would be able to share some insight into the pre-Lynx era of Nicky's life, it would be a relative. Who better than his own brother? Braces, embarrassing Granny-knitted sweaters, bad photos...everyone had them, Lavinia included. Her own highschool yearbook photo lacked most of her present glamour, depicting a somewhat sulky girl with bad hair and too much eyeliner, a source for much teasing from Dominic's part when he'd managed to talk her into showing it to him, so his dues were up.

"I grew up with him", Danny pointed out with a promising smirk, "I've got lots."

If Lavinia had been a comicbook villain, she would have been cackling with glee; as it was however, her grin became, if possible, even wider, causing two little wrinkles to appear on the bridge of her nose. Oh, she could just imagine! It was the awkwardly funny stuff she was after, not the really embarrassing moments, but she figured Danny was aware of that since he'd been the first to bring up the subject. In any case, she was glad he'd followed her train of thought as well as he did, and speaking of following...since first catching Emo Boy repeatedly glancing her way, Lavinia found herself distracted. It was like something you only started noticing after glimpsing it the first time, except the sense of awareness kept increasing. She began wondering what it was that he wanted, and yet didn't dare say. He was obviously into guys, so that eliminated one likely reason, and he was no groupie, either. Those looking to catch the attention of someone from a band like Deus Ex Machina, tended to dress more the part, and make themselves as available as possible (as in, without a clear love interest at hand). Unless he was looking for something involving a three way, but...nah. Not the right approach for that, so that only left one thing: whatever it was, it probably didn't have to do with Lavinia as a public figure.

"Though does that mean you intend to get me drunk?" Danny asked in the meantime, and for a while Lavinia put her inner musings regarding Emo Boy aside to assume a contemplating look about as serious as Daniel's suspicion, sipping her beer at length as though pondering it.

"Mmmm, I don't know" she said with a shrug and a casual toss of her hair, though her eyes were narrowed mischievously as they peered sideways at Danny "I think I'd rather have you sober. It's more fun that way."

There was a reason Dominic and Lavinia got along so well; they shared quite a few similarities, including a tendency to keep going when they were on a roll. Right now, Lavinia was rather enjoying her play on words and saying two things in one and, timidity or not, she thought Danny wasn't entirely opposed to it either. Though her words did contain a grain of truth as well, she was planning to keep him from getting piss-drunk, if she could help it. However, Emo Boy and his apparent focus on her kept intruding, returning to occupy her mind when once again she found his eyes wavering in their general direction, which was when Lavinia decided she would just take matters in her own hands. Instead of looking away, she held his gaze and, placing her elbows on the table, leaned forward in order to make herself perfectly audible:

"You know, I really can't read minds," she said and gave him an indicative lift of her brows, "I'm better with words, so...a little help here?"

Lavinia's tone, though direct and to the point, wasn't aggressive, and the expectant look which settled on her face in the wake of that comment did not lack a certain curiosity.



If wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets
#94 Old 9th Mar 2010 at 6:01 PM
((Someone please tell the officers where to go...?))

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Retired Moderator
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#95 Old 9th Mar 2010 at 6:51 PM
(((ooc: GeneralsOperationDirector - As we've mentioned before, your way of roleplaying and our way of roleplaying are not the same. I'm sure you have noticed by now that we roleplay actual characters, whereas you seem to roleplay general situations, and none of the current players are playing the head of security, nor any security staff members. No one is playing a character available to tell the officers where to go.
We've pointed this out to you before.

Furthermore, as stated by the rules in the very first post of this thread, the minimum length of an RP post is 8 lines. Your latest post is 2 lines long, and 50-60% of it isn't even a post, but comments made about the contents of the post.

We're not trying to exclude you from the RP, but you do have to realize that when you do join an RP, it might be a good idea to follow the actual setup of the game. Right now, no one can RP with you, because your way of RPing is (by your choice) entirely different from ours, and they're not compatible with one another. The way in which you try to roleplay with us is entirely your choice, but as long as you do it in a way that we cannot respond to, well, then we simply cannot respond. It's as simple as that. )))

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
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#96 Old 14th Mar 2010 at 10:36 PM
Default Rio in the VIP lounge with Lavinia and Daniel, among others


Sometimes when your mind gets caught up with something, whether it's a matter of inner reasoning, or something you're witnessing, there are times when self awareness tends to shrink away from you, and you end up staring at an object, or even a person. If whatever is keeping your mind prisoner, is of the former category, of inner reasoning, the staring will most likely be of the unseeing kind, where your gaze turns unfocused since what you're looking at is something in an altogether different dimension, visible only to your mind's eye. Other times, when in the case of the latter, of witnessing something playing out in front of you, you get so caught up watching it, eagerly drinking in every last detail that you're able to register, that you don't realize that you're staring.

Such was the case of young Rio Adams this evening, placed at the short end of a table where sat also the young lady he'd been hoping to meet, but now was hesitant about approaching. He'd gone over a million times in his head, what he might say upon meeting her - a sea of possibilities for various scenarios - but now, when finally having the chance, all of it sounded lame, or downright creepy. The last thing he wanted was to come across as some star struck fan, who'd most likely loose her interest within two seconds flat, and he most certainly didn't want to come across as some stalkerish weirdo, talking about how he thought they had things in common, even though they'd never even talked before, ever. Neither would be particularly helpful in giving her the first impression that he was hoping for, of a young man she might actually enjoy talking to.

He was overthinking things. He realized that. He realized that at this point, before even uttering a single word to her, he was already trying too hard, and that the best way to go about it, was to just relax, and let it happen naturally. Though that presented the problem of what if allowing it to happen naturally, ended up having it not happen at all? She already had company, and she seemed to enjoy it too, judging by the smiles that kept emerging on her face, filled with amusement and mischief, so it wasn't as though she was likely to want to strike up a conversation with just any random person. Least of all one who looked like Rio. Perhaps a little presumptuous, but goths and emos generally didn't tend to be drawn towards one another. At all. And while Rio most certainly didn't define himself as being emo - he was far too carefree and enjoying life too much - he did still look the part, so...

What he didn't realize, was that with all his inner debating, what was meant to be just the odd casual peek in her direction, ended up being frequent and sometimes rather long glances instead. And this time, Brad was too occupied with the conversation he himself was having with Arnold, to notice, and issue another gentle warning like before. He did offer distraction every now and then, with the frequent squeezing of Rio's thigh, or the occasional hook meant to reel him into the conversation, but before long, Rio's focus would always waver, and return to the matter claiming most of his thoughts, and the object at which they were aimed: Lavinia Sinclair.

Thus, it wasn't until Lavinia's gaze met with his, and actually stayed on him, that Rio suddenly caught himself having probably looked at her a lot more than he had meant to, and far more conspicuously than intended. Now wasn't that smooth...

He was just about to guilty look away, when... uh-oh... She was starting to lean forward, towards him, gaze still on him, and the intent to call him out clearly in her eyes.
Oh, shit. He wasn't prepared for this.

"You know", Lavinia said from across the table, causing the young man next to her to turn his head and look at Rio as well, with a smile that slowly faded as whatever amusing conversation they'd been having died down, "I really can't read minds. I'm better with words, so... a little help here?"

Having feared that, like most people who got fed up with having others stare at them for no apparent reason, she would get snide or snippy, Rio was relieved to find that while she was indeed frank about it, her voice carried no such undertones. And when added to that, he glanced down at Brad, and found him looking at him and giving an encouraging smile, Rio relaxed into a smile of his own, and turned his gaze back to Lavinia.

"I'm sorry", he said. "I didn't mean to stare, or intrude on anything. It's just..."

For only a second he paused, at this potential moment of truth, but then soon continued, once again feeling assured that no, this really wasn't the right time to bring up their possible family ties;

"... You're stunning", he thus finished, because sister or not, and Rio being gay or not, she really was a beautiful creature. "And", he then added, "this is probably going to sound really lame, but... I was just thinking I'd really like to talk to you sometime."

After all, a little flattery never hurt anyone, right? Especially not when it was perfectly sincere.

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
Alchemist
#97 Old 19th Mar 2010 at 2:32 PM Last edited by Ghanima Atreides : 19th Mar 2010 at 3:04 PM.
Default Lavinia, Danny and Rio - The VIP Lounge



The phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover" was a well known warning against jumping to conclusions based on appearances, but the actual truth remained that most people did it in one way or another. It was impossible to leave behind all of one's expectations and the sort of preconceptions so deeply-set, one barely realized they had them, even for those who claimed to possess an open mind. Lavinia was no exception, and in her line of work, appearances did go hand in hand with certain stereotypes, sometimes purposely so.

At first glance, Emo Boy didn't look the part of a groupie for several reasons, and most casual fans would probably just have waited for the show the next day. He could have been in the business as well, something Lavinia considered afterwards, or, his interest had to do with something else entirely. Still, she wasn't the sort to overthink matters when she could just as easily ask him, which she did. The answer however wasn't precisely what she'd anticipated:

"I'm sorry" the young man said, and Lavinia thought he handled his initial embarrassment quite well, though she didn't miss the way lover boy there offered his silent support in a gaze, "I didn't mean to stare, or intrude on anything. It's just..."

Lavinia held the silence, raising a brow as well in encouragement.

"... You're stunning. "And this is probably going to sound really lame, but... I was just thinking I'd really like to talk to you sometime."

Settling back into her chair, a look of subtle comprehension settled onto Lavinia's features, as though his answer suddenly dispelled the mystery, which she figured it had. It wasn't the first time she'd been the recipient of such words, in fact she'd heard several variations of them quite a few times from fans eager to get their idol to themselves even for a brief time. Offering to talk was a favourite way to do it, because a conversation was about the simplest and safest way to hold someone's attention without seeming too presumptuous. Lavinia did spend time with her fans, and it would have been a lie to say she didn't enjoy being the target of compliments and general admiration, even when it came from unlikely sources. Perhaps even more so then, because Lavinia relished the idea of reaching many different people, instead of just one target group: that's why she had joined a band, to express herself, and she took satisfaction in the idea that it was becoming known outside the strictest borders of the goth scene. Like Emo Boy there, whose approach had him pegged as a fan after all, though she wasn't exactly shocked by the revelation. Clothes were a useful guideline, but beyond that, it was the music that Lavinia tended to focus on (and she did not lack opinions regarding the various genres, some of them quite critical), rather than the stereotypes associated strictly with a way of dressing. After all, with her bon vivant outlook on life, she hardly embodied the goth stereotype.

"Aw, thank you, you're sweet" she replied with a brilliant grin, "and, well, we're talking now, aren't we?"

One of Lavinia's arms rested upon the backrest of the booth, her hand hanging casually over Danny's shoulder and she aimed a playful wink at him during a brief moment that their eyes met. Though she wasn't opposed to new acquaintances, or chatting to Emo Boy for a bit, since his strategy had been to approach her while she was partying with her friends (not to mention she had Daniel more or less to look after), he'd have to share her attentions. She didn't want Danny to feel left out, nor had she forgotten about their pending conversation.

"Though I do think introductions are in order," Lavinia continued, her gaze now encompassing both guys sitting across the table. "I'm Lavinia" -he probably knew that, but she wasn't quite arrogant enough to use it as her default approach-"this is Daniel."




If wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets
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#98 Old 23rd Mar 2010 at 4:21 AM
Default Rio with Lavinia and Daniel (and Brad and Arnold) - VIP lounge


As far as not coming across like some star-struck fan went, eager to meet his idol and finding himself tongue-tied when made the object of her attention, Rio figured he'd blown it first thing, despite his resolve not to. He'd heard his own words as they'd been coming out of his mouth, and realized that while they did indeed carry flattery, they probably carried zilch where originality was concerned. After all, what kind of phrases did fans generally use when approaching their idols? "You're so cool!", "I love you!", "wow, you're even more gorgeous/handsome/whatever up close!", that's what. "You're stunning" hardly stood out. Nor did he figure his request to get to talk to her for a bit was something new to her. In her line of work, she probably got it all the time.
So, the plan of catching her interest by seeming like something at least a little out of the ordinary, had gone down the crapper the moment he'd opened his mouth.

But that was okay. Ready or not, he'd gotten her attention, she knew that he existed, and that was definitely something to work with. He had time yet to pique her curiosity. Furthermore, even if he did come across like your typical fan, Lavinia obviously wasn't the type of celebrity that had started taking the adoring masses for granted, or gotten completely fed up with them. She didn't roll her eyes at him, and she didn't turn away in a show of being bored with him already. On the contrary. Instead of looking like someone who'd lost interest in two seconds flat, she leaned back in acceptance and recognition of his words, and her face lit up with a most vibrant, contagious smile.

"Aw, thank you, you're sweet", she beamed at him, "and, well, we're talking now, aren't we?"

Rio returned her smile, with a somewhat more mellow one of his own. That much was true, they were indeed talking. But even so, it wasn't quite what he'd meant. He had no intention of bringing up what he thought was their mutual father here in front of everyone, with loud music blasting in the background, bouts of laughter occasionally soaring above it, and a room full of people who had no business hearing about something that private. He wanted to get Lavinia on her own, away from everyone, so that they could talk without risking the interference of others; the endeavour would be delicate and volatile enough on it's own, without others getting involved, cracking jokes or other remarks, or simply stumbling upon the scene and disrupting it. It wouldn't be fair on either of them.

It did not, however, change the fact that she had a point. They were talking, and that meant that Rio had ever chance to try and manoeuvre things so that eventually he and Lavinia would get a chance to talk one on one. And besides, Lavinia was in the same band as Dominic de Vere, who was the boyfriend of Lara, who in turn was a friend of Rio's, and present at the festival. Worst case scenario, if a chance to talk to Lavinia in private didn't arise this evening and she got away from him, he'd just ask Lara to help put him in touch with her again somehow. He wasn't particularly interested in having Lavinia think he was being persistent to the point of being clingy, but if that was what he'd have to resort to, in order to get to present his real business, then he was willing to do it.

But, that was all to be a later matter. Currently, he was looking to make the most of the opportunity at hand.

"Though I do think introductions are in order", Lavinia said, after briefly glancing over at the boy next to her, and giving a wink as if to say that while her focus might currently be on Rio, he was still her main companion, and in doing so earning herself a shy smile in return, before she continued with her part of said introductions; "I'm Lavinia, this is Daniel."

At the mention of his name, Daniel shot her a sideways glance, sort of glad that she called him by his actual name, rather than "Danny". Though he generally tended to prefer the latter, as it was more casual, "Daniel" sort of made him feel more... adult. Like he was being taken seriously, and seen as a person of his own, rather than the notorious Dominic de Vere's little brother. It was only semantics, and probably not even a conscious decision on Lavinia's part, but the effect was there nonetheless.

From across the table, Rio gave them both a nod, and, as he'd noticed that not only had Brad and Arnold turned their attention to the conversation as well, but that Lavinia had also recognized their presence by letting her gaze shift briefly to Brad as she spoke, went on to play his part in the process of introductions;

"Rio Vance", he said - he didn't know whether or nor Lavinia knew her father's name, and while it was a fairly common one, he didn't want her to make the connection by using his real last name, no matter how far fetched the idea that she would might be - and then tilted his head towards Brad's. "Brad Dreyer. He's with Tears of Andromeda."

Not that he was certain that Lavinia had heard about the band, but Rio figured that was just all the more reason to mention them; to introduce their existence to the world. It didn't much matter to him that by doing it, he probably had the others thinking that he'd "groupied" Brad, when ironically, it had been the other way around. He didn't much enjoy the label, but had gotten fairly used to it since he'd started dating Brad, and just figured that people were entitled to think what they wanted, because it wasn't like they weren't going to do so anyway. Besides, his and Brad's relationship was between himself and Brad, and therefore none of anyone else's business. Rio didn't need to explain the mechanics or the history of it to anyone. Not even when asked. And boy, had he been asked. As soon as people found out what business he was in, and that he had a boyfriend, you could bet your bottom dollar the next question on their lips would be "Doesn't he mind?".

But anyway, in the current conversation, that was all far beside the point. Although, unbeknownst to Rio, it was just about to skirt along those very lines for a bit, when at the mention of his own name, Arnold's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Wait", he interjected. "Didn't you say your last name was something else before?"

Blinking with surprise at the realization - he'd completely forgotten about Brad introducing him as Rio Adams earlier - Rio turned his gaze to Arnold.

"Uhh...", he started, somewhat bewildered, before managing his explanation: "Yeah, that was my real name. I go by 'Vance' too. For work."

At that, Arnold arched his eyebrows ever so slightly at first, but then seemed to accept his words as sounding reasonable, given the current location, and nodded.

"What do you do?", he inquired, since Rio had mentioned Brad being in a band, but not being in one himself.

"I... model... sort of", Rio replied, glanced down at Brad, and then turned his attention back to Lavinia (and Daniel), in order to change the subject; "You're in Deus Ex Machina, right? I'm a friend of Lara, Dominic's girlfriend?"

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
Scholar
Original Poster
#99 Old 28th Mar 2010 at 4:27 PM
Default Lara and Dominic - Outside

The worst of it was that she could imagine it. Not the sordid details, but she could imagine how he... how many times? How far did he go with them? How soon after he’d been with her?
It hurt to think about it, any of it, but Lara couldn’t help the questions piercing and insidiously drifting into her mind and rooting themselves in against her will. Because she had to know. She didn’t want to know, but she had to – it was all out in the open now, and she couldn’t keep running from it. She had to know.
She couldn’t bring herself to ask, though. She suddenly didn’t want to hear him say it, because that made it too real. If someone else said it, then it was hearsay, and it was... less tangible, less painful than hearing him admit it.
Because he wouldn’t lie to her, would he?
Not now, right?

She couldn’t help but go over all the times that he’d seemed unreachable, all those late mornings that she’d thought Dominic had spent in bed with a hangover, or just exhaustion after a night out. All those vague explanations and excuses and fanciful tales. What if even half of them had been born because he hadn’t wanted to tell her he was with another woman? And there she’d been, being the dutiful girlfriend and just such an idiot! How did she not see this coming?
How did she persuade herself to ignore it for so long?!

"Look...," he started and she couldn’t bring herself to look at him, her melancholic eyes absently looking over the earth beneath their feet, the slight yet burning touch of his skin against hers involuntarily making her gaze snap onto the azure orbs that she’d lost time in again and again. Her and so many others. "It's only happened a few times.”
God.
Her shoulders stiffened and she tore her gaze away from him again, her breath caught in her throat as her heart froze once more. Few times. He’d done it again and again.
“And... almost all of them just blew me, and that was it. And it didn't mean anything, it was just sex.”
What do you say to a man to whom sharing yourself with another person when you’re with someone means nothing at all?
“It didn't mean anything. I mean... I still love you, so much. I do.”

She hated how much those words still meant to her, how sharply they penetrated though the feelings of betrayal, shock and inadequacy that tainted her wavering heart. How true it was for her, that regardless of all of what he said and how hollow it made her feel, she still loved him. How the most frightening thing right now was losing him.
But that was her, wasn’t it? She loved him, body and soul. And she couldn’t forgive herself for doing what he’d done. But to him, it was just nothing.

Her eyes drifted slowly back up to his, studying the depths of those oceanic pools for a new meaning before the question tentatively ventured out with her vulnerability;
“You love me. What does that mean?”

"Life is just a chance to grow a soul" - A. Powell Davies
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#100 Old 1st Apr 2010 at 8:27 PM Last edited by AtropaMandragora : 6th Jul 2010 at 11:51 AM.
Default Dominic and Lara - outside VIP lounge


Dominic knew his girlfriend well. After so many years of being together, sharing their darkest moments as well as their happiest ones, and even living together for the past two or three years - more or less, considering Dominic's work sometimes took him away for long periods of time - Dominic and Lara had grown very close and intimate as a couple. Not just physically, but also, and mostly even, mentally. She knew of his often unstructured nature, she knew how he thrived on attention and, to a point, chaos. She knew how loving and affectionate he would be when with her, and how he appreciated how she would be able to soothe him and make him unwind, when he himself knew it was time, but was incapable of doing so himself. She knew about his inner demons and of his cutting himself in the past - the scars on his arms had of course tipped her off, when first they had started dating, but she had let him take his time to open up to her about it, rather than freaked out about it and caused him to withdraw from her - and she knew about his fears as a child, that his parents were going to hurt one another during their many fights, and what those fears had sometimes driven him to do: How after making sure that Daniel was in another part of the house, Dominic had tried to go between his fighting parents, to keep them from attacking one another, which, even though an exchange of a few slaps had been the most serious violence he'd ever witnessed between them, had still always seemed to be hanging in the air whenever they fought. She knew about how he'd stayed awake in his bed until their voices had died down and the house had gone quiet, and then snuck out of his room to go put his ear against the doors of the bedroom and the guest room where his father usually slept after a fight, just to make sure they were still there, and that they were still breathing. The young victim of an over-active imagination perhaps, but with the things that his mother and father would sometimes yell at one another, he'd been afraid that there would come a day when they would act on their various threats.

Likewise, Dominic knew about many of the hard times Lara had been through in her life. Like the time back when her little sister Louisa was diagnosed with diabetes, and all the weeks and months of various changes, worries and complications that had both preceded and succeeded it. He knew how Louisa's sudden weight loss and change of temperament had weighed heavily on Lara's mind and shoulders before they had found out what was wrong, and the emotional turmoil that had followed for them all when finally the cause of it all had been discovered. He knew how concerned Lara had been while Louisa had been in the hospital, and how her and the rest of her family had all struggled to adjust to all the changes that'd had to be made to their lifestyle as a result of Louisa's illness. He knew how it had all taken it's toll on the family, and how like the nurturing person that she was, Lara had been the glue that had held them all together, not rarely at the expense of her own needs and wants. For as long as he had known her, she had been unselfish, and prone to put others before herself. Including him, not to say particularly him. He knew how hard she worked with her assignments for school, in order to get ahead a little, so that she could take the time to travel back and forth between campus and whatever city he and the others were playing in - sometimes taking hours and hours - to be with him, and support him, when she could have just stayed at home and taken her time with the school work instead.

Indeed, the two of them knew each other so very well, and it didn't limit itself to their past, and their experiences. More often than not, they would look at each other, and be able to see what the other was thinking and feeling, or at the very least catch a little hint thereof. Sometimes, mere looks was all it would take for them to communicate what others would have needed both time and words to express.

Although right now, Dominic wasn't quite sure what to think. He kept seeking to make eye contact with Lara, and while she did offer the occasional glance up at him, she kept trying to avoid it, and the few glances he did get, were too quick and too scarce for him to be able to tell what was going through her head. She was hurt, and upset, that much he of course realized with no great effort, but how badly, he couldn't tell. He didn't know whether she was on the verge of tears or just about to take his head off. Whenever they argued, she always was more prone to tears than violence and harsh words - which frankly always had him feeling ten times worse than if she had been yelling at him, because he just could never stand to see her cry - but on the other hand, as far as him hurting her went, he figured this one had to be rather epic...

Dammit! He hadn't meant for her to find out like this. In fact, he hadn't meant for her to find out at all. Those other girls had meant nothing, the sex with them had been just a way for him to get off when he'd needed it. It hadn't been because he was missing something in his relationship with Lara, it had been because he missed Lara. A substitute warm, human body to have close to him for a little while, because for all her devotion and sacrifices, Lara too had a life, with responsibilities and commitments, and couldn't possibly follow him around everywhere, to be there as soon as he got horny. She tried, as did he, but... sometimes it just wasn't enough to get intimate over the phone, or try to picture her in his head. Sometimes, he just craved more than that, and it had nothing to do with him loving Lara any less.

But, he just didn't know how to make her see that, or even if he could make her see it. Especially not when finally, after having her gaze drift away from him repeatedly, and staring down at the ground despite his efforts to seek for their eyes to meet, she looked up at him, and straight into his eyes, with an expression in hers that looked to him like she wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

"You love me", she said, and Dominic almost cringed with guilt when he heard the frailty in her voice. "What does that mean?"

Though at the last part, he blinked with surprise, and then merely looked at her in confusion, dark brows furrowing over his blue eyes, as though he didn't understand the question. And honestly, in a way, he didn't. What did it mean, that he loved her? What kind of a question was that? How did one even begin to answer it? What did one say, when some of the most powerful words one could say, were no longer strong enough to speak for themselves, but had to be analyzed, and explained? And worse yet, when the question itself was actually perfectly justified, and understandable? For no matter how confounded it left him, deep down he did understand why she would ask.
And so he tried;

"What it means...?", he started, and now it was his time to cast his gaze towards the ground, though in his case it was in bewildered and uncertain contemplation, before moments later it returned to lock with Lara's once more. "It means... the same as it's always meant? It means that I love you, as much as I always have. That I want to be with you, that I can't imagine my life without you. That... I'm really, really sorry. I've just..."

Trying to find the right words, his voice briefly faded into silence, but he soon continued, while letting his hand glide from her upper arm, over her shoulder, and up to her face to gently cup her cheek;

"You know what playing does to me", he said. "Right? There's all this raw, exhilarating energy raging inside of me, and it's just so hard to act like there isn't. You know? And I need an outlet for it. I'm a guy, I need sex, and... Lara, I'm sorry. I really am. I won't do it again. Okay?"

~ * ~ Volition ~ * ~
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