Uppity little wiseguy. That's what Dominic's and Daniel's father had once called his oldest son, when he'd tried to make a point about how "the early bird catches the worm", to which Dominic had mouthed off by telling him that while that might very well be the case, "it's the second mouse that gets the cheese". He'd been thirteen at the time.

Since then, not much had changed on that front, except maybe the trait itself growing stronger and stronger over the years, to the point where Dominic would now often have his mouth run away with him, consequences be damned. As long as it was a good ride, he wasn't all too concerned about the destination. The discussion with Asher earlier this evening, regarding the singer's talent (or, if Dominic was to be believed, lack thereof) for playing guitar, had been a perfect example of that, and his comment to Lavinia just now was yet another; while the first had ended up bruising Asher's ego, neither of them had been specifically designed to hurt anyone's feelings. Dominic could be an arrogant jerk, but he rarely set out to be downright mean. He simply just loved to banter, and what he loved even more, was getting the last word. Hence his comment to Lavinia just now, about getting her bosom out of his face, and the remark that had followed; as ill-advised as it was for someone in his position, to pretty much flat out encourage the person that was holding the key to his release, literally, to drag things out and let him stay cuffed to the bed, his partiality to bantering with Lavinia won over his better judgement, hands down.

Lavinia, however, quite surprised him, by turning out to be a little bit more perceptive, understanding and forgiving than he had expected her to be. Having just dished out a comment that only a moment after having said it, had him almost biting his tongue, he pretty much expected her to just leave him restrained on the bed for a while longer. Instead, she gave him a scrutinizing look that let him know that she'd actually picked up on the hint of bitterness and waning patience in his voice, and then proceeded to actually reach to undo the cuffs.
Though, of course, not entirely without commenting;

"Someone less magnanimous than I might be tempted to see how long it would take you to get free with this stuck up a certain place where the sun don't shine", she pointed out to him, having ever so briefly placed herself next to him on the bunk in order to establish eye contact and thus further drive home her point. That said, she then rose again, to get to work on the cuffs, while she added; "Good thing I'm not one of those, huh?"

Dominic simply smirked, and decided to keep his mouth shut for once, lest he'd really get the key "stuck up a certain place where the sun don't shine". Though it was obvious from the mischievous look in his eyes as they were watching Lavinia, that his mind had plenty of replies to offer, and not all of them were protests. Because hey, Lavinia's hands in that region of his body? A guy could have it worse. Way, way worse.

Now, as comfortable as Dominic's mind had made itself in the gutter, and as difficult as it might be to get it to budge from there, there were a few things that did manage. One - Lara and the uncertainty left by her departure - was already a current factor in his awareness. Another came only seconds after Lavinia's comment, when a soft click announced that Dominic was now finally a free man again. Wasting no time, he immediately sat up, while rubbing first one wrist, and then the other, as if to make them come alive again, after their imprisoned, inflexible and slightly bruised state, while his "rescuer" plopped herself down in a nearby chair.

"Go and make yourself decent", she told him, "we'll wait. When you're done, who's up for getting a drink and something to eat?”

"Me", Daniel said, as he ventured over to one of the nearby tables, and slid into the booth, with his back resting against the wall, and his legs stretched out in front of him along the seat cushion. "Definitely me. I'm starving, and thanks to my genius brother here, I haven't gotten a chance to eat anything."

Dominic, who at this point had stood from the bed, after first reaching for his underwear on the floor and pulling them on, and also having shot Lavinia another smirk in the process - him, decent? - pulled a face in Daniel's direction.

"Shut up", he snapped, though still not entirely without an obvious sense of humor.

Next up to be retrieved from the pile of clothes on the floor were his black jeans, which his lean frame slid into with the same ease as always. He buttoned them up, and then went on to start fastening the belt around his narrow hips. However, that's when the process of him dressing himself was suddenly halted, as it was at that moment that Daniel's lips cracked into a wicked grin, and he started singing teasingly to himself, a Guns N' Roses song that he'd decided was perfect for the occasion;

"Pretty tied up, hangin' upside down...", he hummed.

A split second later, he cut himself off and ducked behind his arms with a laugh, as Dominic, who'd obviously gotten the gibe, grabbed the first best thing he could get his hands on - a half empty but luckily sealed water bottle - and hurled it at him as hard as he could.

"Shut up or I'll wring your neck", the older brother threatened, yet couldn't help but to grin himself.

He was, after all, not one of those people who took himself too seriously, but could poke fun at himself. Though as tends to be the thing between siblings, it was always a little bit harder for him to accept, when that brat of a little brother of his was trying to do it for him. And Daniel knew it. But after years of bickering and fighting like brothers do - sometimes in a friendly and good humored manner, sometimes not so much - and of being teased by Dominic, Daniel took what he could get, in the means of ammunition. And Dominic had just provided him with more.

"Oh yeah?", he grinned, as he scooted back out of the booth and stood, almost as tall as his brother, and far more athletic, compared to Dominic's slender build. "Well, come on then", he challenged, and flicked his fingers at Dominic in a way to match his words. "Bring it, don't sing it."

After quite a few wrestling matches with Dominic over the past couple of years, he was aware that Dominic knew as well as he did, that he hadn't managed to take Daniel in a fight for years.
Not that Dominic let that stop him.

Fast as lightening, the older brother's arm shot out to swat Daniel across the top of his head. But Daniel was prepared, and managed to parry the blow, only to discover that it had been an evasive manoeuver: A split second later, Dominic had flung his arm around Daniel's neck and was trying to pull him down in order to bestow upon him the thing that seemed the most popular gift from an older sibling to a younger one; a noogie.

Needless to say, Daniel didn't much appreciate the gesture, and so in an attempt to get free, swung one foot behind Dominic's and pulled his leg out from under him, which in turn sent them both crashing down onto the floor of the narrow bus aisle. There, an ardent struggle for control ensued, with arms and legs waving around in a flurry of tangled limbs, until finally, Daniel had Dominic mercilessly pinned down. Dominic put up a good fight, there was no doubt about that, but Daniel was without a doubt the stronger one.


(((ooc: So sorry for the wait. Hope it works.)))

It was all a lie, it all felt like a lie. She knew that wasn’t true; she knew Dominic loved her, that times between them had held genuine affection, genuine attachments, genuine need to be with each other. A relationship never exists with just one person putting in all the effort, and she knew that wasn’t the case with him. When they’d been together, living in the same town, everything had been perfect, so good that she’d feared that it’d all fall apart once they moved apart. It hadn’t. The first few faltering steps aside, the separation, for Lara, had only moved to intensify what they shared. Because he hadn’t just given up, he’d put in his share, he’d made as much effort as they needed, and more, and it’d just gone to prove that he wanted them as much as she did.
That kind of reassurance was everything.
And now it was all nothing.

It was irrational to doubt everything. But it just felt that, because it hadn’t mattered to him the betrayal he wreaked on her every time he got off with one of his groupies, it hadn’t been important enough to stop him. It wasn’t like he thought about how her heart would crush into itself, or the look on her face should she ever find out and he’d simply just carried on because he didn’t care; it simply just didn’t occur to him. It was the age old question; is it better to have someone hate you, or just have them not bother in any way?
Because it wasn’t just her, was it?

It was just so, so, so stupid. How could she have let this happen? How the hell did she end up here; in college, knocked-up, and now with a broken relationship. The worst thing was how her mind absently drifted to the look on her parents’ face; not one of anger, not one of flat acceptance, but one of pity. One of knowing that they’d expected better and it’d just gone, and it was all her fault. After all, there were so many relationships where the men don’t cheat; why her? It always took two to make or break things, didn’t it?

"Lara!" a familiar voice cut through the path of her absent wanderings, stopping her in her tracks as her hazed mind sifted through to ensure it was her who was being called for. She didn’t want it to be Nicky. Not now, not yet. "Lara, hey!”
It wasn’t him. And it wasn’t anyone she wanted to speak to, because she wanted no-one to see her right now, like this, in the lowest point she’d been in years with her whole life thrown in and out of perspective. “Hey.”
Rio. As happy as a part of her was to see his handsome, welcoming face, part of her shrunk back in apprehension at being unable to reciprocate the joy in his greeting, his cheerfulness somehow making her heart sink further down her chest, pulling the lump in her throat hollowly down with it.
She barely managed a weak smile.
He saw through it like glass, her form and features yielding to honesty of her misery as his arms rested against hers. "What happened?"

She just looked at him to begin with, lips trembling as they pursed slightly, eyes welling up beyond her control at the chance of being able to be entirely, and unabashedly honest about her feelings, hopes, dreams, fears and pain.

“Everything,” she finally spluttered out, eyes closing momentarily as teardrops rolled hotly down the paleness of her cheeks. “Everything. I’m pregnant. And he cheated on me. Everything’s just... I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Kendra sighed as she zipped up the tent. She had gotten here at a reasonable time and managed to get a good spot to camp. She had texted asher for about 30 minitues, and after that he hasn't comunicated. Kendra figured that Asher probably went to one of the vip lounges to see how much of an audience he had. She hadn't expected to find him, but she had to admit, she was a bit dissapointed not to have bumped into him. However Kendra had learned long ago, not to hinge her mood on Asher, so she enjoyed the party, danced and chatted to people. She had admired the beautiful sunset with a few other artists. Dozens of colors melded and combined on the beautiful palette that was the big blue Texas sky. She continued to party untill after dark. Kendra decided to return to her tent, and then hunt down Asher. Once she reached her tent she swiched out her tight miniskirt for a frilly black skirt, and grabbed a thin jacket. Outside the air was quickly cooling, however the ground still had retained alot of the day's heat, this heat was still seeping out of the ground and keeping everything warm; but when the retained heat ran out the air would become crisp. And a little cool for Kendra's taste. Kendra picked at her hair, meticulously brushing out the knots, untill her hair was smooth and wavy again. Her golden hair glinted in the strange light and she smiled. She loved her hair, people constantly complemented her on it and she simply loved it. Once her hair was cascading perfectly down her back and over one shoulder, kendra flicked off the little battery-powered light. She carefully zipped up the tent.

Kendra straightened up and took a deep breath of the warm texas air. Now where should I look first, Kendra wondered. She hadn't seen Asher at the Lounge she visited and everyone she asked hadn't seen him either. He wasn't replying to her texts either, hmm. Kendra thought a while longer and finally decided to go find the bus, maybe he was chillin with his bandmates? Kendra walked first towards the lights and then along until she reached the tourbus area. After asking a few of the security she had a general idea of where the bus might be. Kendra fingered her golden locks as she wandered through the haphazard "rows" of busses. Luckily the light was on inside the Deus Ex Machina bus, or else Kendra would have walked right by. She stood and listened for a minute, ahe head muffled voices bantering, she concluded that three people were on the bus. Maybe one of them is Asher?

Kendra knocked on the bus, to the right of the door, and then let herself in. As she turned to look at the contense of the bus, her eyes fell upon a mass of flying limbs. Two guys were wrestleing in the middle of the bus, one of them Kendra recognized from pictures as Dominic de Vere, the other she had no idea about. Kendra instantly felt heat rising to her face as a voice in her head sang 'awkaarrddd'. Her cheeks turned pink, and she instinctivly wrapped her arms protectively around her middle. Kendra spotted Lavinia Sinclairseated nearby, watching the two guys with a smirk. Kendra cleared her throat loudly and Lavinia looked up, the unknown boy got Dominic pinned down and then they both looked at Kendra as well.

"Um excuse me," Kendra began in a small voice. "Do you have any idea where Asher might be-uh.. is?" Kendra's left pointer finger came to rest on her bottom lip as she finished. "He hasn't been replying to my texts and I figured, that of anybody you guys might know. Where he is."


((So, so, so, so sorry for the wait! Hope this works for everyone, I'm happy to be joining this awesome rp oh and outfit. ))

"Knock louder next time, will you, we could have been having sex in here or something." Lavinia said jokingly. Kendra's eyebrow instantly raised and Lavinia realized that maybe Kendra wasn't the kind of person you joked around with like that. Lavinia straightened herself in her chair and continued a little more seriously.

"Sorry, no idea, last time I saw him he was leaving the VIP lounge. That was, uhh, about an hour ago. By the way, I'm Lavinia, and those two jokers down there are Dominic and Danny."

"First off ya'll ain't rowdy enough to be a threesome, if your looking for that kind of thing you might want to go three busses to the left." Kendra smirked, laughing at herself in her head, because she knew her southern accent usually sounded ridiculous to people from out of state. And telling from Lavinia's accent, she wasn't from around here.
"God Asher, so d*mn narcissistic he won't even tell me anything." Kendra laughed lightly. "Well at least I know he hasn't changed much. Im Kendra by they way. I thought I recognized you two Dominic and Lavinia. I've heard all about you from Asher." Kendra jokingly rolled her eyes. "More then I wanted to know actually. Anyway it's nice to meet ya'll." Kendra said turning to look at Dominic and Danny.

Growing up, the number of times that the brothers de Vere had found themselves on the ground, each of them fighting for control over the other, were plentiful. For years, Dominic's superior strength as a big brother had made Daniel easy for him to take and keep pinned down for as long as he'd wanted to. Or at least until one of their parents or some other adult had come along to separate them, drawn there by young Daniel's wailing or, as he'd gotten a little older, his angry yelling. Though by that time, Dominic had usually managed to tease him relentlessly already, and also, whenever the fighting wasn't of the fairly friendly kind, delivered a punch or two.

Thus, while the fighting had since started occurring less and less, and while when it did occur, Daniel nowadays often was the one to come out on top, he saw to it to enjoy it in full. He had a lot of defeats to make up for, and even more teasing, and so whenever he got the chance to pin Dominic down and keep him there, he took it. He grabbed it firmly with both hands. And the best part was that Dominic, despite knowing he didn't stand a chance these days, was far too cocky to ever admit it, and so often provided Daniel with the opportunities himself, by shooting his mouth off. Like now. Within just a minute or two of having threatened to wring his little brother's neck, egomaniac Dominic de Vere had been introduced to the floor of the tour bus by the very same, who then even went on to try and get him intimately acquainted with it as well, by not only pinning him down, but firmly keeping him there. And had it not been for what was about to happen, Daniel would have probably demanded a actual acknowledgement of defeat from his brother, before letting him go.

"Boys, boys", Lavinia said in the kind of motherly tone generally used when you wanted to make someone feel like they were a misbehaving kid. "Do I need to put you in time-out?"

Though the humor with which she said it didn't pass either of the boys by, and so Daniel turned his head and shot her a grin over his shoulder. And had he been able to, Dominic probably would have done the same, but as it were, being flattened against the floor made it impossible, and he was rather more focused on contemplating his next move. Therefore, neither of the three seemed to notice that a fourth person had joined, until the sound of that fourth person clearing their throat was heard from the front of the bus, as a way of getting their attention. In unison, all three of them looked up to find the darkly clad frame of a young woman standing before them, rich golden locks cascading over her shoulders, and a pinkish hue spread over her cheeks from obvious discomfort at the scene she was witnessing.

"Um excuse me," she started quietly, as if with the mere volume of her voice apologizing for interrupting. "Do you have any idea where Asher might be-uh.. is? He hasn't been replying to my texts and I figured, that of anybody you guys might know. Where he is."

On the floor, Dominic attempted a glance back at Lavinia, to figure out if she, unlike him, might know who the girl was - clearly she knew Asher, but if he indeed wasn't answering her text messages like she said, it might be a sign that for whatever reason, he wished she didn't - but thanks to Daniel it ended up a most unsuccessful endeavour, since he was pinning Dominic down in a position that made it impossible to turn his head that way, and even if that hadn't been the case, Daniel's body was still in the way.
Well, that is, it ended up a most unsuccessful endeavour, until Lavinia opened her mouth with a reply that, eventually, did answer Dominic's question.

"Knock louder next time, will you", she said nonchalantly, "we could have been having sex in here or something."

To some, it would have probably sounded mostly like an attempt to embarrass or provoke, but the fact of the matter was that it was God's honest truth. In this business, it wasn't a very rare occurrence at all for people too hook up pretty much anywhere, and while on the road, the tour bus was the closest thing to a hotel room you could come, and so consequently, it saw a lot of action. Deus Ex Machina, although not sporting the biggest, newest or most lavish tour bus, were no exception. Their little home away from home had seen it's fair share of groupies achieving their goal of bedding their idol, as well as conjugal visits from girlfriends, and since the bus wasn't just one person's home, but home to the entire band, complete privacy wasn't always a luxury they could afford. Nor was it always something they cared to safeguard. With alcohol in the picture, sometimes the focus would be on getting over to the bed as soon as possible, rather than closing the door, or keeping their voiced down.
So, it was a fair point for Lavinia to make, said with humor or not.

However, being somewhat nicer and more well-behaved than, say, Dominic would have been - knowing him, he wouldn't have stopped quite yet in making his point - Lavinia then smoothed it all over a bit, by actually and sincerely answering the question;

"Sorry, no idea", she said, "last time I saw him he was leaving the VIP lounge. That was, uhh, about an hour ago."

'So', Dominic thought to himself, 'he's stopped being such a baby then, and quit his sulking over what's just simple fact. Sure took him long enough.'

"By the way", Lavinia continued from behind him, "I'm Lavinia, and those two jokers down there are Dominic and Danny."

And there came the answer to Dominic's unspoken question. Lavinia didn't know who the girl was either. Studying her from where he was, on the floor, shooting her a bit of a grin and a "hi" in unison with Danny, it was Dominic's impression that she didn't look like Asher's type as far as girls and women went, but on the other hand, that only fit the theory of an importunate fan even more, or of someone else that Asher might not be interested in talking to. Not that she wasn't cute, because she was. She was just too... classy, for Asher's tastes. Too clothed, and too... chaste-looking. Although appearances could of course be deceiving, and underneath that innocent southern belle exterior laid a nympho dominatrix or something. An impression that gained a little more ground, come the girl's reply;

"First off ya'll ain't rowdy enough to be a threesome", she said in a southern accent that sounded like it just kept getting richer by the second, "if your looking for that kind of thing you might want to go three busses to the left."

Not rowdy enough, huh? That was one Dominic had never heard before. Usually being the life of the party, and the center of attention, he was used to being called a lot of things, but never "not rowdy enough". In a way, it was almost an insult. But, on the other hand, while he figured he and Daniel must have made quite a bit of noise wrestling, had Dominic been in a threesome, it probably would have been far louder indeed. So, fair enough.

"God Asher", the girl continued dramatically, "so d*mn narcissistic he won't even tell me anything. Well at least I know he hasn't changed much."

Heh. Importunate fan or not, Dominic was liking her already.

"Im Kendra by they way", she then went on to introduce herself, just as Daniel finally decided to let go of Dominic, and stand up. "I thought I recognized you two Dominic and Lavinia. I've heard all about you from Asher. More then I wanted to know actually. Anyway it's nice to meet ya'll."

Now that was a statement that earned her another, more scrutinizing look from Dominic, as he was being helped up off the floor by Daniel, who despite being the reason he was down there in the first place (or perhaps because of it) held out a hand in order to pull him up. She recognized him and Lavinia? Well, that pretty much ruled out her being a fan, because frankly, a fan wouldn't have said such a thing. No, what was implied here, was a personal relationship of some sort, especially given the comment about having had Asher tell her more about them than she'd wanted to know. So, what the h*ll was she? Friend, ex, f*** buddy, secret girlfriend, what?

"Funny", Dominic said as he looked her up and down, only to then let his wandering gaze settle on her face. "I can't recall him telling us anything about you."

Unlike Lavinia, he'd make no effort to avoid possibly damaging Asher's love life. Not because he was truly malicious or filled with glee at the prospect of Asher being caught cheating as well, but because he saw no reason to lie or sugar-coat things to protect him. Especially not since he honestly had no clue who this Kendra really was.

"What do you want him for though?", he couldn't help but to add, and leaned his naked shoulder casually against the wall, while his thumbs hooked into the front loops of his pants. "We're the fun bunch."

He turned his head, and shot Lavinia a smirk.

"Right, Lav?", he said.

He didn't often use nicknames for her, but when he did, "Lav" was among the more common ones. Mostly for the lulz, since it sounded so very much like "luv", and there was so often the innuendo of something more than friendship between them, that the two of them just loved to toy with.

The moment he saw the look on Lara's face, Rio knew something was wrong. Of course he did. It was plain to see, in the shadows of sorrow and turmoil that danced in her eyes, along with the moisture of tears that had already reddened the edges around them as she'd cried. Something was very, very wrong, and like anyone faced with a friend in obvious distress, Rio instantly forgot all about his own worries, and his concern had spilled right out of him without a moment's thought. To some, who wished to keep their sadness to themselves, whether it be because they thought of it as a weakness or simply weren't ready to talk about it, it would probably have been the most unwelcome of questions, intruding on territory upon which they didn't want anyone to tread. But for as long as Rio had known her, Lara had always been open and honest, about where she stood and about who she was, and so as the initial reluctance of seeing him began to fade from her features, with the slight quivering of her lips to tell the tale of a failing attempt to keep it all under wraps, complete abandonment to her troubles washed over them instead, and she burst into tears, for what was obviously at least the second time this evening.

"Everything", she blurted out, and from there it all just seemed to pour out of her, as though a dam had suddenly burst within her and couldn't be stopped, and Rio found himself gripping her arms a little tighter, in an instinctual attempt to show her that he was there for her, willing to listen, and that he was holding on to her, not just in the literal sense. "Everything. I'm pregnant. And he cheated on me. Everything's just... I don't know what to do anymore."

For a split second, all Rio could do was to blink with surprise. He hadn't seen either of those coming. Least of all the pregnancy. That whatever it was had been related to Dominic, that much he'd guessed, since he'd seen them together earlier, and now she was on her own, but the first idea to come to mind was that they'd had a simple fight. He didn't know Dominic very well at all, they'd met but barely spoken, but he knew from what he'd heard from Lara as well as from others, that the guy could be both reckless and insensitive at times, and so figured this evening might have seen one such occasion. But as it turned out, it was far worse than a mere fight.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry", he said with complete empathy, and pulled her into his arms for a tight hug, to try and offer at least a little bit of comfort, useless though it may be.

To be perfectly honest, he actually hadn't thought Dominic would cheat on his girlfriend. He'd seen the two of them together, and while the guy did seem to have an ego the size of Texas, his devotion to Lara had always seemed genuine and heartfelt. It had been plain to see for anyone who bothered to watch the two of them together for a few minutes, that they truly and deeply cared for one another. And as for the constant and persistent rumours about Dominic and Lavinia, which Rio of course hadn't been able to miss in his search for information on her; to him, it had all seemed too obvious. If you were cheating on your partner and didn't want them to find out, you wouldn't be so open about things that were sure to raise suspicion.

Though regardless of how unexpected the revelation of the cheating had been, the rest of what Lara had said had taken Rio even more by surprise. And so after holding her close for a handful of seconds, he pulled back ever so slightly with his arms still around her, and looked at her.

"You're pregnant?"

For obvious reasons, such as his sexuality but also his youth, Rio had never thought much about pregnancies, and what they entailed. With all the roadblocks standing in his way towards parenthood, he had never thought of himself as a future father, and even if he was to be one some day, it wasn't likely to happen by him knocking up a girl, and especially not doing it by accident. If it happened, it would be the result of a conscious decision, as well as a lengthy and possibly trying process, and so it wasn't something that would be neither planned nor particularly unexpected. Parenthood wasn't a concept or a decision that would be sprung on him from out of the blue, before he was ready and willing to take on all the massive responsibility that came with it. Therefore, he'd never thought he would come across the issue of an unexpected pregnancy. Somehow, despite his female friends, it had never occurred to him that he might get to face the problem... no, no, the matter - "a problem" was not the right way to view a possible child - from a different angle. From the sidelines. And now that he was, he didn't really know what to say. What could he say? He'd feel like a complete hypocrite to even imply that he knew what Lara was going through, and telling her the standard phrase people tended to over-use - "it's going to be okay" - would be pure and utter bullsh*t too. Holding her was pretty much the only thing he could think of, to try and somehow give her at least a little support; someone to talk to, and a shoulder to cry on. Because boy, did she seem to need it. Especially with what she'd said about Dominic cheating on her, which really couldn't have come at a worse time.

"Yeah", she sniffled slowly in reply to his question, but then elaborated: "I mean... I'm pretty sure I am. I didn't take a test yet, but I'm late, Rio... really late, that never happens... and I've been feeling sick in the morning too, plus the timeframe fits so... yeah..."

Yeah indeed... Rio might not know all too much about Lara's cycle, and frankly, like any young man, he kind of preferred it that way, since hearing about it would make him feel a little awkward. But he did know Lara, and knew that she wasn't a drama queen, nor was she a worrywart. She was rational, and didn't tend to get herself worked up without some sort of evidence that she had good reason to. If she suspected she was pregnant, judging by how well she knew her own body, than yeah, it would seem she was indeed pregnant. Unless, of course, she had been under a lot of stress, which could very well be the case too, considering how she struggled with keeping a balance between doing well in school, and darting off to see Dominic every chance she got, along with worrying about him. And for good reason, as it turned out. That kind of thing could also mess with a girl's cycle, right?

"What am I going to do?!", Lara burst out crying again, only this time in a way far more marred by despair than the last. "I can't have this baby on my own, Rio! Oh God..."

Helplessly, and with his chest squeezed tightly by sympathy, all that Rio could do was to hug her tighter as he felt her tears bleed through the fabric of his shirt, wishing there was some way he could soothe her aching heart. Stroking her hair and her back, as a way of encouraging her to let it all out, and telling her that she was safe to do so with him, he rocked her ever so gently, while shooting dark and defensive killer glares over her shoulder, at anyone who looked their way a few seconds too long. He wanted badly to say something that might calm her and possibly cheer her up, but he knew that sometimes all people needed in order to then be able to step back, take a deep breath, and deal with the situation, was to be allowed to be angry and sad. To be allowed to cry. And so he simply let her. Though he never stopped letting her feel him there by stroking her back, and within a minute or so, he felt her trying yet again to pull herself together.

"I'm sorry", she said at last while drawing back, out of his arms, though her voice was still thick and unsteady from crying, and tears were still in her eyes, "I didn't mean to dump this on you. It's just... I needed to tell someone. Thanks for being here."

At first, Rio just smiled faintly, affectionately, and shook his head in refusal of her apology and for thanking him. Not because he rejected her apology nor her gratitude, but because he didn't think she had anything to apologize or thank him for. He was her friend; of course he was there for her. Just like she had always been there for him whenever he'd ranted about what few problems he and Brad had had, or about his own parents. He would have been, even if he'd never needed to rant to her in the first place. That was how friendship worked; you didn't listen to a friend's upset raving just because you were friends and you felt obligated to. You listened to it because you genuinely cared, and wanted to help.

"Listen", he then said softly, while cupping her face in his hands, and wiping away a lone tear trickling down her cheek with his thumb. "You're going to think about it. Okay? First let it all out; cry, be angry, vent. When you've calmed down, think about it. You don't have to decide anything right now, right? It's still early, you have plenty of time to think things through. About the baby and Dominic both. Give yourself that time."

(( ahh! Super sorry,I'm going to be away this weekend, and all next week I have alot of big presentations, essays, finals, ect! I'm really sorry If I take forever to post! I'm pretty sure by monday I'll fell so guilty that ill write up a post when Im supposed to be working Again super sorry.))

If Dominic could be said to have a partner in crime, when with the band, it would most definitely be the ever lovely Lavinia Sinclair. The dynamics at work between those two... Having hit it off from the first time they'd met, even before they knew of each other's musical talents, with their own unique brand of sensually platonic chemistry and flirtatious, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, the two of them had come to star in numerous antics together over the years, many of which now made for quite entertaining memories, and equally entertaining stories to tell around the camp fire. They often matched each other perfectly, feeding off of each other's vibes and ideas, creatively as well as personally. Even in simple every day situations. They just clicked so very well together, on so many levels, and there were times when all they had to do was to look at each other, to know what the other one was thinking. On stage and off. When in a playful mood, they often needed only to glance at each other to convey some mischievous intent. One of them would start down a chosen path, and without needing an explanation beyond that one look, the other would catch on, and follow.

Such was the case right now, when with a light but for Dominic customary gibe at Asher, currently non-present, Deus Ex Machina's lead guitarist shot a smirk Lavinia's way, and she aimed one right back at him. However, while she knew most well what must be going through his black-dyed head, she ultimately - after sending their visitor a tell-tale look, promising exactly what Dominic's words had implied - decided to once again play nice, and let Kendra off the hook. For now, at least.

"Also the ravenous bunch", she said as she slipped in between the two brothers - one of whom was busy posing just ever so slightly, casually showing off his lean, semi-nude frame, and the other busy straightening his clothes after the wrestling match on the floor - and put her arms around each set of shoulders. "We were just on our way to grab a bite to eat; you can come along if you want to. On the way, you can tell us about you and Asher; you've got us all curious now."

Perhaps it was the mention of going somewhere, or perhaps it was his senses incidently kicking in all by themselves, but that comment was one to bring Dominic right out of his moment of mild narcissism, and smack him square in the face with the thought that had really been there all along, ever since Lavinia had freed him from the cuffs, but that for a moment had been pushed aside by that whole debacle, and all the messing about that had ensued: Lara. In an instant, the smirk vanished from his lips, and he forgot all about acting cool.

"Sh*t", he said, and started patting his pants in search of his cell phone. "I gotta find Lara."

Unsuccessful in finding the phone, he then turned to scour the floor around him and over by his bunk, and even started picking up some of his own clothes from it and tossing them somewhere - anywhere - else, to see if maybe the precious device was hiding under there.

"Have you guys seen m-... Wait, here it is!"

Relief and just the tiniest sliver of triumph filled his voice as he straightened himself, phone in hand, and he shot his companions a glance as he started thumbing through the numbers in search of his girlfriend's.

"You guys go, I really need to talk to Lara", he said just as he hit the dial button and eagerly brought the phone to his ear, but before they had a chance to reply or even react, he quickly added with gradually mounting distress; "Sh*t. Lavinia, can I bum a smoke off you? I can't find mine."

"What do you want him for though? We're the fun bunch." Dominic replied, and Kendra couldn't help but see his bare chest. The difference in build between the two brothers was obvious. Dominic had obvious sex appeal, however Danny seemed to be alot more of a stable, good relationship type guy. "Right, Lav?" Dominic finished, smirking at Lavinia. Ooh boy! Kendra thought, Ashers bandmates were going to be more troubble then she even imagined.

Lavinia returned the smirk then shot Kendra a warning glance. I miss my brother, I miss my brother Kendra keept telling herself. Lavina walked over to the two boys and put her arms around their shoulders. "Also the ravenous bunch", Lavina added. "We were just on our way to grab a bite to eat; you can come along if you want to. On the way, you can tell us about you and Asher; you've got us all curious now."

Dominic proceded to search for his phone in order to contact his girlfriend, providing a running commentary as he did so. "You guys go, I really need to talk to Lara", he fiddled with the phone a bit, but quickly followed up with, "Sh*t. Lavinia, can I bum a smoke off you? I can't find mine."

Kendra smirked, and had to admit she always found it amuseing when guys had to grovel for a women's attention, ect. When they realized that they weren't the only guy on the planet.

Anyway, Kendra continued. "I know an awesome cafe that has a stand up somewhere here. The always have a trailor or something, when it come to local events. Their Chicken fried Steak is amazing." Kendra smirked at Lavinia. "I would ask you to guess how I know Asher, but I really don't want to know after your previous comments!" Kendra looked at everyone and then turned stood just ountside of the bus door, as she waited for everyone to follow.

_________
I know that sucked but im just getting into rping again! I cant tell you how sorry I am for holding you guys up.

Despite his part-time profession and his familiarity with on-camera nudity - as much thanks to his major in school as to his "extra-curricular" activities; he had done various art assignments that dealt with the naked human form in one way or another by now - there were areas within the romantic field where Rio would be uncertain, awkward and sometimes downright clueless. The main one being - you guessed it - girls. As their friend, there would be no problem. He would hang out and talk, listen to their troubles, guy related or otherwise, he would be supportive and offer advice when he could, and be much like any other friend in general. But, as the object of a girl's affection... Now that was one that tended to freak him out quite a bit. Ever since the day he'd turned fifteen, and Vicki had tried to seduce him, Rio had a tendency to be weirded out whenever a girl showed an interest in him, and might even end up scared of her, simply because he didn't know how to handle it, and because it just felt so wrong to him. One might even compare it to how a heterosexual young man might feel when being hit on by a homosexual one; the feelings just did not compute, and brought with them an acute sense of something alien. Rio just never viewed girls in that light, neither as possible objects of sexual interest for him personally, nor the other way around. He wasn't in tune with any such possible intentions towards him, and thus never saw it coming. This evening, and from Lara, least of all. He was so caught up in the mixed feelings he had about apparently learning before Dominic himself that Lara might be pregnant, that he didn't quite perceive the same shift in chemistry between himself and Lara, that Lara did, and so when the next thing he knew, Lara pressed her lips against his, it took him by complete surprise. It downright stunned him for a moment or two, before he realized what was happening.

Yet when he did, as much of a jolt as it was to body and mind alike, he didn't jump back or pull away in the same kind of panic that had seized him years ago, when Vicki had put the moves on him. It did all freak him out, yes, and he did pull away, but what he also realized at that very moment, was not only what was happening, but why, and so the manner in which he pulled away from Lara was not in rejection, repulsion or panic. It was by dropping his hands to her shoulders, and gently easing her back, as if silently asking her to stop.

"Lara...", he said, with just the tiniest hint of discomfort in his voice, yet the faint smile from before still remained on his lips as he looked at her in understanding of what had driven her to such a drastic action, and his knuckles brushed against her cheek in affection. "Don't. It's for all the wrong reasons. You know it as well as I do."

Seeking her gaze, he tried to let the look in his eyes drive home his point, as he could see realization and silent admittance in hers, but as he didn't want her to feel rejected or embarrassed, he then went on to add, with a smile widening ever so slightly with irony;

"And besides, you know I love you and all, but... I am so gay."

As known by those who knew him, and soon to be known by those who met him for the first time, Daniel de Vere was a rather reserved young man. Not in the sense that he came across as aloof and wanting to keep people at bay, but in the sense that he would often be labelled quiet and sometimes downright shy. When in the company of new people, or when finding himself in a situation not familiar to him, he had a tendency to quietly observe and establish a feel for the people and the circumstances at work first, before diving in. He watched dynamics and behaviour, personalities and affiliations, as a way of gradually trying to make himself a little bit more comfortable in his new surroundings, and it happened at the expense of his own interaction with others, since that all became secondary to his desire to watch and learn before doing. So much unlike his brother, who was usually far too busy making an impression, rather than carefully gathering them.

In this sense, Lavinia was a bit of a rarity. Although technically a perfect stranger, despite everything that Dominic had told his little brother about her over the years, she had somehow managed to draw him out of his shell, and with good measure, too. Despite the rather awkward circumstances during which he had landed in her company, she had soon had him joking and bantering as though they'd known each other far longer than just a few minutes, albeit with a few scattered moments here and there of him being embarrassed or tongue-tied. He was relaxed and comfortable in her company, most of the time, and had opened up in a way that would usually require two, three or more encounters for him to do so.

The addition of Kendra, however, had shifted the dynamics for the young man, since he once again found himself in the company of someone he didn't know, and who even though she didn't seem to know neither Lavinia nor Dominic, still shared some common ground with them, in the form of Asher. Somehow, she knew the singer of the band , which made for an easy first topic between herself and the others, except Daniel, who was the only one there who didn't know Asher, and thus would have had little to contribute even if he hadn't been so withdrawn. Though he didn't mind, really. At the moment, he was back to being the observer, the shy bystander who didn't say all that much, if anything at all, but since it was a role he was comfortable with, it didn't bother him. Furthermore, and truth be told, he was also a bit distracted by Dominic who, as always, seemed incapable of doing anything without practically demanding everyone's attention with his vibrant ways, involving all three of them in his search for his cell phone, willingly or not, only to find it himself a few seconds later.

'Good', Daniel thought to himself then; he was concerned about Lara, and was glad to see that not only did Dominic finally acknowledge her existence - though deep down, Daniel knew she had never been far from his brother's mind... or at least he thought he knew it - but he seemed both anxious and agitated. Worried. Exactly what he ought to be, considering what he had done to her. Thankfully, Lavinia and Kendra had just provided an excuse for the rest of them to leave Dominic to it, by bringing up the matter of food. Usually, plans involving finding a place to eat wouldn't have seen Dominic part company with them, but this time he didn't seem too interested in the idea of food, which could only mean that he really was fully focused on Lara, and getting a hold of her.

"I would ask you to guess how I know Asher", Kendra said as she exited the bus after shooting Lavinia a smirk, and Lavinia and Daniel followed her only moments later, "but I really don't want to know after your previous comments!"

Figuring she meant the first thing out of Lavinia's mouth when Kendra had first appeared in the bus, Daniel couldn't really blame her. Along with Dominic's comments, as well as his antics, 'innocence' seemed to be a concept long lost to the duo, and he could only imagine what possibilities Kendra must think were going through Lavinia's head. But, as it would turn out, Lavinia's guess - which, due to Kendra's choice of words was bound to come - was a rather clean one;

"You're his sister, right?", she said as she joined Kendra near the door of the bus, with Daniel following a few steps behind. "Friend with benefits is too obvious", she elaborated, "and secret girlfriend too much of a cliché, sooo...that leaves the sister theory. Or cousin, or something along those lines."

Personally, Daniel would have guessed she was just a friend, although probably a good one, judging by the joking way in which she spoke of Asher. But again, Daniel didn't know the singer like Lavinia did, and so she might have picked up on something that made the possibility of Kendra being family of Asher's make more sense. Yet even so, there was one thing that Daniel couldn't help but to notice, and so when Kendra didn't immediately reply, he squeezed in a careful:

"Is he from the south?"

He might have never met Asher personally, but he had seen plenty of interviews and live clips that had included him on TV and on the Internet, and so he knew Asher didn't speak with the same thick southern drawl as did Kendra, and so for them to be siblings, with accents that suggested different backgrounds... Well, it wasn't impossible, since there was about a dozen circumstances that could have rendered such a result, but still, it did make him wonder.


(((ooc: WLK - Sorry, I know I said you should feel free to go ahead and post, but since it's been quite a while, and you haven't, I felt we needed to keep things moving. Ghani - Hope it works.)))

Rio hadn't been in very many of them, but there was one thing he knew about relationships for sure; they required a lot of time and effort to work. If two people were to live as close as a relationship took them, there couldn't be just two individuals and nothing more. There had to be affection, of course, but also a lot of understanding and tolerance of each other's shortcomings. Nobody was perfect, and it would be impossible in the long run, to live with someone who thought they were faultless. Or that you were, for that matter. The couple needed to invest time in one another, there needed to be understanding and also forgiveness at times. They would both have to be willing to adapt to match each other's personalities and wishes - within reason, of course - and a willingness to compromise was downright vital: When in a relationship, you had to be aware and accept the fact that you wouldn't always get your way. You had to function as a team, where communication and honesty paved the way to harmony. It was a constant give and take. And heck, even friendships took a lot of the same kind of effort to stay healthy.

Rio had an overall good relationship with his boyfriend - there was love, understanding, and if maybe not exactly as much time as was ideal, there was at least the yearning for it, and constant attempts to achieve it - and most of the friendships he had were equally sound. The one with Lara was definitely one of them. Disregarding the fact that Rio had told her a little white lie about what he did to put himself through college, he believed they were always honest with each other, no matter if it was on a personal level or an artistic one, and he loved her for her sensitivity and her open-mindedness. She had never judged him - which frankly made the aforementioned white lie have everything to do with Rio, and little to do with Lara - and he never judged her either. Least of all now, when driven by her distress over her beloved boyfriend's apparent cheating, to act out and kiss Rio on what they both knew to be a vengeful and perhaps somewhat desperate impulse. Taken a little aback, yes, that he was, but to say that he didn't understand, would be a complete lie. He did understand, and he didn't blame her in the least for what had just happened, and could only hope that she would see the look in his eyes, and take his attempt to lighten the mood ever so slightly the right way.

Much to his relief, she did. He saw it in the way that a tiny small tugged at the corners of her mouth, even before she opened her mouth. Though when she did, she made Rio's own smile widen:

"Brad is a lucky guy", she said, and even gave him a wink.

Had the basic circumstances of the situation not been so unfortunate, Rio would have laughed, and replied how that was exactly what he himself kept telling Brad, but as it were, he didn't think it was the right time for further jokes, and judging by the way that Lara's smile faded to be replaced by an expression that mirrored the gravity that remained, she felt much the same way.

"You're a good friend Rio", she continued, "and I'm sorry, it wasn't fair of me to put you in that position. You or Brad. Also, regardless of what Dominic did, me doing it as well is in no way better. I know that."

At the first part, Rio simply waved a dismissive hand, as if to say not to worry about it. It wasn't as if what she had done had been entirely deliberate or selfish. Sure, it might perhaps look like it, if one didn't bother to scratch the surface at all, her using him just to get back at Dominic like that, but Rio understood that it wasn't quite that simple. An impulse was an impulse, a split second decision to do something you might never ever do if giving the matter just a single second's more thought. He didn't hold it against her, and he seriously doubted that Brad would either, if told about it.

"It's okay", he said, "we all do rash things when we're emotional. It's human nature. And Dominic does deserve to get a taste of his own medicine."

Pausing only for a second, Rio then looked at Lara with another softly affectionate smile curving his lips.

"But you're better than that", he added. "You're sweet and caring, and you don't have an evil bone in your body. And he's a complete *ss for doing this to you. But, that said, I do still think he loves you. I've seen him with you, and you with him. You guys love each other, for real."

“You're his sister, right? Friend with benefits is too obvious, and secret girlfriend too much of a cliché, sooo...that leaves the sister theory. Or cousin, or something along those lines.”

Kendra goggled at Lavinia. “Wow, I knew ya’ll were good musicians, but good actors too? That’s crazy!” She said. “I could’ve sworn you had no idea who I was.” She couldn’t help but wonder how Lavinia and Dominic had acted like they had no idea. Figures Asher told them something right? But what exactly did he tell them…? As siblings Asher and Kendra did love each other, and they were closest to each other when compared to their brothers. But simply because of the distance, and the fact that they both had busy lives, they had let their friendship dissolve. Nothing bad had happened, there were no hard feelings between them but Kendra figured it would be a little awkward to talk to him in person again. He must have told them at least a little about his family.

Kendra nodded enthusiastically. “Yup! I’m Asher’s little sister. Kendra Kingsley.” She smiled at the both of them, then remembered Daniel’s question.

She was surprised when he asked a question, and realized by his tone of voice that he must be nervous or something. He had been quietly watching them and she had almost forgot he was there. Daniel was definitely the guy a few tents down from her and Victoria and she hoped maybe he hadn’t recognized her. She was embarrassed that she had practically stared at him for minutes on end. Well, he was Hot. Really hot.

She answered his question with a sweet smile. “He sure is! We were all born here, Asher, me, and our brothers. Asher wanted to live up north to be with his friends though. He’s probably lost the accent by now, right?” She asked, looking at Lavinia since she seemed closer to her band mates then Danny.

((Atropa, thats fine, so sorry I've been so busy lately, hope this works for all or you. I haven't RPed Kendra in a while, so its taken me a bit to get back into swing.))

With Lavinia, Daniel and Kendra having left the tour bus, there was only one thing left to occupy Dominic's mind; he had to find Lara. Hitting "call" on the number he'd just thumbed his way through his contact list to find, he pressed the cell phone to his ear, and listened intently in the hopes that the signals would start sounding in his ear, followed by Lara's voice. He got to hear neither. Not a single tone went through; instead, it cut directly to Lara's voice mail, informing him that the number couldn't be reached at the moment, and that he was welcome to leave a message.

Cursing to himself, but loudly, Dominic hung up, and paced a few steps through the narrow aisle of the bus, but ended up hitting re-dial only seconds later, partly in the hopes that the previous failure would just be a temporary thing, and that the signals would now go through, and partly with the intention of leaving a message. As it turned out, of the two, it was to be the latter, since it went directly to Lara's voice mail this time as well.

"Lara... Baby, please pick up", he started desperately at the tone, as though thinking he was leaving a message on an answering machine, and she was somehow screening her calls. "I love you, you know that. Don't do this. Please talk to me. Please? You can't just... I love you. I'm a jerk, but I love you, so much. Please come back."

It wasn't to be the only message. Ten minutes straight of incessantly calling her yielded two more, of a nature much like the first, before he temporarily gave up on reaching her over the phone, and left the tour bus with the determined intention of plain finding her in person instead. He had no idea whatsoever where she might have gone, and with everything that had happened, he had forgotten completely to ask Danny if he and Lara had been planning on camping with the other visitors - and if so; where, more exactly - or if they had made other arrangements or something. All such things considered, the fact was that Dominic stood very little chance of ever finding his beloved girlfriend among the many thousand people milling about the various area of the festival. For all he knew, she could have even headed home! But he didn't care. He had to find her, and talk things out with her. With the manner in which she had left him, he didn't know whether she just needed some time to herself, or if she had downright broken up with him. After cuffing him to the bed, she hadn't exactly stuck around to explain where she stood, and her "I can't!" could have meant practically anything! That she couldn't have sex with him then and there, that she couldn't talk about it then and there, or that despite accepting his proposal a few minutes earlier, she couldn't marry him. Dominic didn't know which it was, and it drove him up the wall. It drove him into wandering aimlessly around the backstage area, and a part of the open general area as well, in hopeless search of her.

Ultimately, he was forced to give up. Despite his level of desperation, his common sense eventually did manage to catch up with him, and make him realize that he didn't stand a chance of finding Lara like this. That his best bet of getting in touch with her, was to return to the tour bus, and wait for her to hopefully return as well, or at the very least return the calls that he was still making every ten minutes or so, to no avail. Though for Dominic de Vere, simply waiting, with little else to do, was far easier said than done. Especially when he was worried and restless, far too agitated to find something to help him pass the time for more than five minutes. He watched TV, he texted a friend, he played a video game, he strummed a bit on his guitar, he watched some more TV, and he did what was probably one of the worst things he could do, when already agitated and on edge; he did another line of cocaine. Not because he was in party mode, which was usually the case when he took a hit, but simply because he had it and needed to keep himself occupied doing something, no matter what it was. Although, to be perfectly honest, there probably was a part of him, and a large one too, that hoped that it would make him feel better. Cocaine didn't just make him alert and energetic, it usually also put him in a good, carefree mood. Usually. Tonight was different, because all that happened was that he got even more restless, to the point where he finally just gave up trying to do something to keep himself occupied, and instead dropped himself down onto his bunk bed again, to wait for the high to wear off.