Another World

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Lucien tilted his head as she mentioned getting up on stage. He contemplated not hiding her just to see what happened. Did she sing or play an instrument? Or perhaps she danced. He decided he would hide her if she wished to be hidden. He took her hand, entwining his fingers with hers and stood up from the table. He opened the door for her and let her outside as he followed. He watched the people in the crowd, laughing and talking. He did keep an eye out for the woman she had described to him just in case. The stage was huge and the instruments looked strange to him.

When the music started playing it was light and happy. He twirled Leila around a couple of times just for fun as they walked around. He smiled down at her hoping she was having fun. He looked around at all the merchandise out along the sidewalk. He picked up a drink from one of the vendors floating around. They said it was free so he grabbed two of them and handed Leila one. He tested it before he took a big drink. It was very potent and sweet. His features went slack, "Is this Makii?" he whispered to her.
 
Leila laughed each time that Lucien spun her around, always coming back in close to him when they resumed walking. It just felt natural to be near him, touching him constantly. Whenever she did stop to think about it, it seemed like it should be something that shouldn't come as easily, but she didn't care. This wouldn't be a repeat of last time. Lucien was different, she told herself. She accepted the drink from Lucien and glanced down at it, seeing the telltale deep red shade. Well, she had planned on drinking tonight anyway.


"If I say no, will you keep drinking it so that you can make a fool of yourself just like the rest of us?" she whispered back, then giggled and took a drink of it. Just as sweet as she remembered, and it had already been spiked with vodka. Deliciously warm and wonderful, she smiled and took another drink. "I bet the other girls are all going to be begging you for a dance later," she said as they got closer to the center of downtown, where more people were dancing to the music.
 
Lucien laughed with her and took another sip. A bit of fun was needed after the past couple of days that they had had. He did want to drink slowly though so he'd remember everything that happened. He didn't want to be out of his wits too much and end up doing something he regretted. "I'll keep drinking it regardless. I like the taste. I just like to know what I am drinking and eating so whatever I like I know what to ask for later." The drink went down his throat warm and tingly. He kept twirling her around periodically to the music.

When he heard her last comment he wondered why she would think that. He was pretty well blended in he thought. Maybe it would just be because they will have been drinking this stuff. He smiled at her, "Well, they will have to ask for your permission now won't they? Seeings how I am here with you." As they walked closer to the stage the song ended and a new tune started up. It was starting to get louder and more people started to dance. He watched them for a bit, looking at the way their bodies moved to the music so that he could dance with Leila properly.
 
"But you-" she started to protest, then stopped and just shook her head a little with a smile. "Nevermind," she said simply, finishing off her cup and tossing it into a garbage can as they passed. She was already feeling the effects, making her nice and warm as he continued to twirl her around. A few of the girls around were already eying Lucien, as she had suspected they would. And why not? He was attractive and foreign, two things that typically made girls go crazy. She led him deeper into the crowd and was going to dance with him when she spotted Bridget. Unfortunately, they locked eyes and Leila knew she had been found.


"Hide me, hide me! She's going to get me!" she squealed, moving close to Lucien and laughing a bit because she knew how hopeless it was. Sure enough, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see a smirking Bridget.


"Trying to escape, Leila?" she asked sweetly.


"Yes," Leila laughed, though she tried to shake her head and lie.


"Come on," Bridget said, taking her hand and hauling her off through the crowd with a giggle.


"But I'm not drunk yet..!" Leila tried to protest, following after her friend anyway.
 
Lucien chuckled as Bridget found them anyway. He was about ready to introduce himself when Leila got pulled away from him and towards the stage. He followed the best he could but eventually lost them due to the dense crowd. He knew where she was being taken so he tried to just make his way there. He bumped into so many people and was constantly apologizing. He finally just made his way out of the crowd. If he couldn't make it to the stage he wanted to be in a place where he could see it clearly. He wanted to know what she was going to do up there. He found that he was a bit taller than most of the people here so he stood off to the side where there were not a whole lot of natives.

As he looked around the crowd he did notice a few females looking at him and then giggling at each other. He didn't know what that reaction meant so he smiled to them politely. Then he noticed they giggled even more. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do? Were they laughing at him or just laughing? He sighed and bottomed out his cup, tossing it into the trash bin. When one of the people came with another round he took one and started sipping on it. He felt warm and partially fuzzy almost like the more he drank the more he was out of his body. He was getting drunk! he silently celebrated.
 
Bridget was way too happy about getting a firm hold on Leila so early on in the night. She managed to coax another glass of Makii into Leila's hands, so by the time they made it up on stage with another girl, Amanda, Leila was ready to agree to anything. They informed her that she'd be lead and they'd back her up, which just made her laugh and nod. She did ask for suggestions of what to sing, and they both whispered a few songs to her before handing her a headset. Once all three were set, Leila walked forward on the stage and Bridget went to talk to the band about playing along with them.


"Ladies and gentlemen!" Leila called out, her voice pleasantly amplified by the small mic on her head. "I don't know about you, but I am having a wonderful time tonight!" she went on, and the crowd cheered and laughed. It was obvious she'd been drinking, but she didn't care. "I've been talking into performing.. again.. So I'd like to dedicate this song to a special somebody. Without him, things would have gone very differently the other day!" she added, and the crowd clapped and cheered for Lucien. Leila smiled and glanced back at the girls, glad that she was only drinking Makii and not real alcohol or there was no way she'd be able to do it. She was only overconfident, not slurring. Good.


Leila's part started before the music or the other two girls, so she took a deep breath and focused on herself instead of the crowd. After a moment, she started to sing. The other two joined in after the first line along with the band, providing a brilliant back up. Leila's parts were all unaccompanied in the beginning, leaving her to imagine the music on her own in her head. Finally the band joined in with her too and she couldn't help but smile. Singing delighted her, and she was dancing along with the girls before she knew it. It was a routine they had done a long time ago, but it was fun. By the time she was done, she was breathless and laughing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZFQgqhNoEI
 
Lucien watched the stage closely seeing Bridget drag Leila up. She stuck something on her ear and then started speaking. He was amazed that he could hear her loud and clear. She looked like she was having quite a bit of fun contrary to her wanting to hide from this. Lucien almost fell off his perch when the crowd turned towards him and started clapping and cheering. Weren't they supposed to do that towards the stage. He was just glad he wasn't close enough to be hauled up there with her. He made a few polite bows and smiled, afterwards downing the remaining liquid in his cup and grabbing another one.

He listened to the song as she sang it. The music was very upbeat, he could probably dance to it if he really wanted to. The words caught him offguard though. He smirked when the chorus came around. Must be love, he chuckled. She was in love with him? He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He didn't know if she could see him but he was glued to her. He wondered if those were the same feelings he was having towards her. He'd never felt them before, but he was comfortable around her like he could tell her anything. He clapped for them when the song was over, wondering how long she was going to be up there.
 
Bridget tried to keep Leila on stage but she begged her way off, giggling and running down the stairs even though a few people yelled for her to sing something else. She skipped through the crowd, offering smiles to everybody and waving to a few. Finally she made it over to Lucien and gave him a happy smile. She had already had two big cups of Makii, which was usually all she had for an entire night. Now she picked up a third and patted Tumn's head as he wandered over for some attention between rounds of flirting with the girls.


"So, was it completely awful? I think it was pretty awesome for not singing for.. what was it?.. a few months? I honestly don't even remember," she said, giggling a bit. Markus came over and was going to ask Lucien if there was anything he had wanted to mention earlier, but then he saw the condition Leila was in and just walked off chuckling to himself. A new song came on, a jazzy upbeat number that had Leila bouncing around a bit. "Dance with me, Lucien?" she invited, holding her hand out to him.
 
Lucien smiled right back at Leila. He was nursing his third cup of Makii when she rejoined him and was feeling quite happy. "Nah, you sounded wonderful up there. Youreallyhaveagoodvoice." He shook his head realizing the last thing he said was all slurred together. It was really hitting him hard. He chuckled and took a long swig of his drink. "This stuff tastes really good." He spoke slower that time, almost too slow but at least it was understandable. "I don't sing. Well, sometimes but it isn't real good. Mostly just when I'm by myself and even I think it sounds horrible." He laughed again. He was being chatty and he wasn't sure if that was the smartest thing right now.

When the music changed up a bit, he felt his body rocking to the beat. When she asked, more like told, him to dance with her, he downed the rest of his drink and tossed the cup in the bin and then took her hand. He led her out into the mass of people and started dancing with her. He twirled her this way and that, apologizing when he ran into someone or he spun her into someone. Everyone seemed to be in good humor though since they mostly just laughed it off. Well, they were probably laughing at them but he didn't care. Dancing, even if it was sloppy, was fun.
 
"I'm glad you like it," Leila giggled, following after him as he moved into the crowd to dance with her. Every time that he spun her into somebody else, she would laugh and apologize, but nobody really cared. They were all having fun, and a little clumsiness was to be expected when Makii and alcohol was involved. Besides, it was a night for celebration, not a time to get easily angered. She spun back toward him and was just about to twirl him out when the song ended and another one started up immediately. It was slower and people moved closer together into couples, some waltzing while some just clung to each other in small circle movements.


"Hey, Lucien! Can I steal you away for a dance?" came a voice, a bit slurred and very much on the verge of giggles. It belonged to a young lady about Leila's age, with deep blue hair that appeared almost a royal purple. She had sky blue eyes and a curvy figure that was shown off by the figure-hugging dress she wore. Her attention was entirely on Lucien, and Leila smiled a bit even though she felt a pang of jealously. She had warned him this would happen, after all. Stepping back slightly, she looked at Lucien and tilted her head, not knowing what he'd say.
 
Lucien heard the change in music, the beat soft and slow. He saw the rest of the people start dancing together a little more intimately. He was just about to pull Leila into him when he heard a voice calling his name. He turned to look at the woman who it belonged to. He wondered why she would interrupt them when he had only danced with Leila for a short time. He smiled and slightly bowed to her. "Apologies but I must decline. I have my dance partner already." He raised an eyebrow to Leila noticing that she backed away from him.

He took a step forward staring directly into her eyes. One of his hands grasped hers and placed it on his chest over his heart, while the other arm snaked around her back pulling her in close. He started rocking to the beat of the music, turning ever so slowly. He kept her gaze, nothing in the world could divert his attention right now. He smiled and leaned down into her ear to whisper to her. "She didn't ask your permission. And even if she had, I'm not done with you yet." He pressed his lips to her temple before standing straight again. He wanted this song to last forever. Everything seemed to be in slow motion, the music, their dancing. The only thing that was going out of control was his heart beat and the thoughts in his brain.
 
The girl blinked in shock as she was turned down, not used to not getting what she wanted. She huffed and turned away, stalking through the crowd bitterly and muttering to anybody that would listen that it just wasn't fair and 'that girl' wasn't any better than she was. Leila was surprised too as Lucien said that he already had a partner, her eyes locked on his. She laid her hand over his heart as he pulled her in, rocking with him with a soft blush and a smile. As he whispered to her, she felt a thrill in her heart that made her smile even more.


"I have no complaints," she whispered back, shifting her position just slightly to lay her head on his shoulder as they continued to dance. This was perfection - everything else just seemed to fade away when she focused on Lucien, as if they were the only things worth noticing around even though there were hundreds of people there. She smiled to herself and sighed contentedly, loving every second.
 
Lucien smiled as she lay her head on his shoulder. He rested his cheek on the top of it and sighed. He loved the feel of her against his body. He actually wondered what it would be like if they were naked. The thought coming to his mind unbidden. Not that they would be doing anything in particular, just laying together, skin against skin. He imagined running his fingers all over her soft skin, how it would feel and how she would react.

"I don't want to be anywhere but here for always," he murmured....OUTLOUD! He was shocked at himself. Did he no longer have the ability to keep the thoughts in his head from coming out? Was it that Makii going to work on him? His brow furrowed in worry, waiting on her reaction to that statement. He must be moving too fast for her or else she wouldn't have pulled away when the other girl had offered him a dance. He was silent for the rest of the song.
 
Leila closed her eyes as she felt his cheek rest atop her head. They were as close as they could be, holding on to each other as they danced. It made her feel warm and happy - even more than the Makii was already doing. She was just listening to the music until Lucien spoke and she looked up at him in surprise. After a moment, she smiled and shook her head.


"Well, standing here in the middle of the street forever wouldn't be a good idea when traffic starts back up," she pointed out, then smiled softly and cupped his cheek. "But, if you want to stay in my arms forever, I wouldn't say no," she added quietly, a faint blush on her cheeks. She was going to say something else, but the song ended and the crowd roared out a cheer as a more popular, upbeat song started. Giving up, she just laughed and danced around, picking up a fresh cup of Makii.
 
Lucien almost thought he had made a fool out of himself for speaking those words until Leila whispered what she did. He was just about to lean down and kiss her when the crowd erupted in cheers. The song was over snapping him back into reality. He sighed and shook his head, picking himself up another cup of Makii. If nothing else he might be able to just drink himself into a stupor and then if he acted like an idiot he could blame it on that. He continued dancing with her, twirling her around and just having fun.

He did spot the other girl that asked him for a dance and he offered her a smile. She didn't do anything except turn her back to him. He found that odd. Had he been rude in declining her? He leaned into Leila and asked her quietly, "Is it impolite to decline a dance if a woman asks? I think the one that asked me previously is angry with me." He was only a little concerned as he didn't want a bad reputation with these people but he already had his dance partner and unless she wanted to go do something without him, he hadn't planned on leaving her side.
 
"It's not impolite, no. Most guys here dance with a lot of different girls unless they're married, and even then they do dance with others if their wives are okay with it. The only reason she's giving you a dirty look is because she's a spoiled rotten little brat who has barely ever been told no in her life. She expected you to swoon over her like all of the other guys. Plus, you're foreign and insanely attractive. She just wants to collect you," Leila informed him quietly, then smiled and spun away before spinning back into him. "Plus, she thinks that I don't deserve anything. Long story."


She was going to say something else but Bridget was frantically waving her over. Sighing with a laugh, she trotted over to her friend after excusing herself for a moment from Lucien. He wasn't alone even a full minute, though, before Markus wandered up and smiled.


"So, having fun so far?"
 
Lucien smiled warmly at Markus. "I'm having a great time. Even though I think I may have already irritated one of the women here," he gestured towards the bitter woman he refused to dance with. "She'll get over it though. She's pretty enough. I'm sure she'll fine some other guy to entertain her." He drained the rest of his cup and tossed it over to one of the trash bins barely making it in. He wobbled a little turning back to the older man. "How are you doing?"

He just couldn't seem to stop talking. It was like the filter he always had between his brain and his mouth was completely gone. And his words were coming out partially slurred. He probably looked a mess but he didn't care. He was having fun and the woman of his dreams was just over there talking to one of her friends. He was very carefully trying to keep that thought inside. He didn't want to turn into a blabbering buffoon sprouting off anything he could manage to think of. He smirked outwardly at the thought.
 
Markus couldn't help but chuckle at Lucien's rambling. It was a very common reaction to Makii, especially the first time. He could easily see from Leila's gesturing wildly with Bridget that she had quite a lot as well. Shaking his head, he just grinned at Lucien and half shrugged.


"I'm doing well. Not as good as you are right about now, I imagine. Look, there was something I wanted to talk to you about. Are you too drunk to focus? If so I can speak to you in the morning," he said, not minding at all if Lucien really was unable to comprehend in the middle of a party.


Leila was in the middle of a great story with Bridget, but she noticed that her friend was barely paying attention. Finally she stopped and asked what was wrong, and her friend led her away from the crowd. She turned and realized that she couldn't see Lucien anymore. Sighing, she just made the mental note to return soon. That fled her mind as soon as Bridget hauled her down the street and pointed out a bulletin board.
 
Lucien cleared his throat and took a steadying breath. He nodded to Markus, "I can focus I just need to be a little bit away from the crowd. I find myself to be easily distracted right now." He tilted his head to the side and started walking away from the cheering and laughing of the mass. Once he was part of the way down the street he stopped and leaned on a building. It was much calmer here. Maybe he had had too much to drink. Even with the stage being further away it seemed like he was still right there. Even the conversations and laughing was still a bit loud.

He focused on the man's face. "I should be ok here," he said slowly. It seemed like whatever the man needed to say to him was important and he was going to try his hardest to carry on a normal conversation. He took deep breaths to calm his dizziness. He was almost seeing two of him. Leaning against the solid wall was helping to keep him standing upright. He wasn't going to be drinking anymore for awhile.
 
"Alright," Markus agreed easily, following Lucien away from the laughing and dancing people. There were fireworks scheduled in an hour or two to really cap off the evening, and it seemed like everybody was thrilled with the idea. As they got to a more calm area, he eyed Lucien a bit and frowned. It was obvious that the guy was far from sober, but he had no idea if the otherworlder could still focus enough to retain information.


"I'm going to keep this short and bare. There's a lot that you don't know and it'll probably stay that way for a long time, but there are some things that you need to know. Now," he said seriously, giving Lucien a moment to process before continuing.


Leila stopped and stared at the bulletin board, then reached up and tore down the paper. Her eyes scanned it four times before the information really sunk in, and Bridget was silent. There were two other girls there too, and nobody said a word. They all knew what it meant and who it was for. She crammed the flyer in her pocket and took off running back toward the crowd. To her surprise, she found Lucien and Markus in conversation.


"Lucien, I'm going home. I'm sick," she said abruptly, only able to say the excuse because she was honestly feeling sick now. She gave him a weak smile and turned away to walk back to the apartment, not wanting to pull him from the festivities. Markus was silent, having not said a word since she showed up. He sighed and patted Lucien on the back.


"We will talk in the morning."
 
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