( closed ) tell me why the dark side just captures my eye

[geophile]

Who: steven ( geophile ) & rideaux ( pr159 )
When: IC 8/11
Where: a classy little bar in the pleasure district.
What: in an attempt to see if he has any basic social skills, rideaux has invited steven out for drinks. things escalate.
Rating/Warning: 14A for alcohol consumption, some heavy drunken flirting, and a morning after, but nothing worth locking.

---

[ it isn't that steven is nervous about this meeting in the slightest - when rideaux has asked him out for drinks, it was in a snarky, borderline malicious way that steven understood. this is nowhere near a date, and he intends to hold his own and prove the other man wrong about whatever silly assumptions he had made about him thus far.

still, he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't anticipating whatever interaction was going to come out of this. he can't say that he likes rideaux very much, but he seems like an interesting person. if he's the kind of drinker that finds himself to be loose-lipped upon having one too many, he might learn a thing or two.

of course it doesn't occur to him that he himself may be the first one to get tipsy, but that's a bridge that will be crossed later. for now he's sitting at the bar, finger swirling around his glass of whiskey (neat, no ice) as he waits for his "companion". ]

Comments

[geophile]

[ thankfully(?) steven hadn't noticed that rideaux was nearby before getting tendril-skewered, so he has no idea that the man in front of him had witnissed his death. his other pokémon have, though... namely, a certain ancient sea lilly that's been wanting to give him a piece of her mind. but that's for later. ]

...Not that it was on my mind before knowing that, but I don't think I'll be challenging you to a duel anytime soon.

[ rideaux doesn't appear to be bluffing, and even if he suspected that he was, that would be quite an elaborate story. the colony has taught him to not be gullible, but understand the endless possibilities of different worlds. he's not "impressed" per se, but now he definitely has his interest piqued as he takes a sip of his second drink. it's at this point that he's starting to feel a light haze over his thoughts. he hums. ]

With recent events in mind... your ideal partner - in a non-platonic sense, mind you. Describe them.

[pr159]

[ the bartender passes him his drink right as he gets that question, and he takes a quick sip before setting it down with a smirk and bringing his hand to his mouth in amusement. ]

Recent events, hm?

[ this isn't exactly where he thought this line of questioning was going to go -- especially not with steven actually relating it to his little cradily romance troubles -- but all right. ]

Ideally... [ he takes the pick from his drink to give he olive a little tap on the edge of the glass. ] ...a feisty woman with a nice body and lots of stamina.

[geophile]

[ look, he can laugh at it now!! that's why he's bringing it up - for something lighthearted to talk about. it's about the furthest into "personal" territory he's willing to get, so he may as well set the bar now. alcohol helps, too, but that doesn't mean he won't grimace a bit at his answer. ]

A tad superficial, don't you think?

[pr159]

[ he shrugs. sure it's superficial, but he's not looking for anything deep. that's the only kind of partner he's interested in -- he's never been the type that secretly craves affection.

or at least he hasn't been in a long, long time. ]

Just honest. I like to have a good time as much as anyone, but I'm not interested in romance.

[ he turns the pick in his fingers playfully. ]

I'm eager to hear your answer, though.

[geophile]

Fair enough.

[ it's not something that he can agree with, but he's not about to start a fight about it. his finger trails around his glass as he thinks about his own answer. ]

Intelligent. Brave. Passionate. Inspiring. [ he'll pause to smile. ] And if we're truly being idealistic, someone that can best me in in battle.

[ "i love a man/woman that can kick my ass" - steven stone, 2k16 ]

[pr159]

[ oh, how cliché can you get? rolling his eyes, he pops the olive in his mouth and smoothly drags it off the pick with his teeth. once he's done with the olive, then, his next question -- suddenly a pressing one -- comes automatically. ]

Are you a virgin?

[geophile]

[ narrows eyes, takes a drink. ]

Too personal. Pass.

[pr159]

[ after setting the pick down neatly on his napkin, he chuckles and raises his glass to his lips for another sip. ]

Please, you were inviting the question with a flowery answer like that. And passing on a question was also not a part of the arrangement. It's not off-limits as long as we're willing to answer it ourselves.

[ that "within reason" crap had gone out the window when they agreed to this. he leans forward slightly, and rests his chin in his hand. ]

So here's my answer: No.

[ obviously, given that last answer. ]

And now, again, it's your turn.

[geophile]

[ ugh. he finds himself recoiling as much as rideaux leans forward - in an attempt to be lighthearted, he's been pushed into a corner. he'd really rather not answer a question like this, but he supposes it wouldn't really be the end of the world...

though that's not to say his fluster doesn't show lightly on his cheeks. he clears his throat, hoping to regain some kind of composure. it just wasn't proper to talk about things like this so frivolously. ]

...No.

[pr159]

[ rideaux raises his eyebrows. he's a little surprised, honestly, in part because he wouldn't expect that much defensiveness from a grown man if the answer was no, but whatever.

he just hopes it was with a human. ]

That wasn't really so hard, was it?

[geophile]

Let's move on, shall we?

[ yes it was with a human, oh my god... but it isn't out of shame that he was being defensive, but because it just wasn't something that he's one to boast about. it isn't a part of what makes him who he is, and he was brought up to have a little more tact than to talk about such a private thing in a very public venue with someone who isn't a partner.

he takes a longer sip of his drink this time to take the edge off of his thoughts. there has to be a way to switch this around somehow in his favour...

... oh.

he smiles. ]

Are you aware of the meaning of your first name?

[pr159]

[ the smug look rideaux has been wearing for a while now changes to one of mild confusion as he frowns at the question -- and at the suspicious smile that accompanies it. ]

The meaning of it? It's a first name, it doesn't have to have one.

[ it's middle names that have real meaning in elympios, so he could tell him the meaning of that one. as for his first name, though, he doesn't know where it came from; he imagines his mother just liked the way it looked. ]

[geophile]

Oh, I beg to differ.

[ he laces his fingers as he subdues his smile, but he knows that this is gonna be good. ]

I'm multilingual, you see. One of the languages I speak is known as Kalosian in my world, but other people here in the colony know of it as French. In that language, "Rideaux" has a very... unique meaning to it.

[pr159]

[ you are so full of shit ]

And what would that be?

[geophile]

[ thank you arceus, for blessing him on this day ]

Curtains - as in, drapery used to dress windows.

[ he takes a nonchalant sip of his drink. ]

I think it's quite beautiful.

[pr159]

[ really? that's what he came up with? he takes a drink as he narrows his eyes, looking thoroughly unimpressed. ]

Cute. You know I could make up a foreign meaning for your name just as easily.

[geophile]

Of course you could. But you wouldn't have proof to back it up, would you?

[pr159]

Oh, you do?

[geophile]

Of course. As I stated prior, I'm not the only one in the colony who speaks the language.

[ and he'll pull up his cerevice from his inner suit jacket pocket to give someone a ring. ]

[pr159]

[ WAITS ]

[geophile]

[ and with that confirmation all squared away, he'll bid adrien goodbye and end the call, tucking his cerevice back into his pocket. acting smug is a vice for steven, but he can't help it at the moment. ]

I am many things, Rideaux. A liar is not one of them.

[pr159]

[ FUCK

OFF ]

Fine.

[ he hasn't had his second drink for long, but he finishes it in short order now, and sets the glass down with a huff. ]

Do keep in mind, however, that the writing system in my world is completely different than yours, so it's not really the same. It just happened to be transliterated this way.

[geophile]

[ HELL yes. he'll take that as a victory for him, taking a sip of his own drink that has him nearing the end of his glass. it'll be hard to wipe off the smile from his face now, mr. curtains. ]

I'll elect to enjoy the fact that it's relevant in the present, thank you very much.

[ but since he feels (minimally) bad about it, he'll order another round of drinks for the both of them. see, he can be the bigger man. ]

My treat.

[pr159]

[ he's not going to thank him, nor is he going to bother pressing him to answer that same question, since he's clearly not going to get anything nearly as good out of it.

ugh, he can't even think of a good question to ask as revenge now, all he can think about is how much it pisses him off knowing that some people here have been aware of this all along and have been laughing to themselves whenever they've seen him. all of these "french" people can go to hell. ]

Well. Shall we leave the game there, then?

[geophile]

[ such is the beauty of silent ridicule. he hates to be the one to burst the bubble that's probably been going since rideaux arrived here, but someone had to tell him at some point. besides, the reaction made it more than worth it. ]

And just when I've managed to best you... But I suppose I've revealed enough about myself for one night.

[ that doesn't erase the fact that he's on his third drink, though. he's sufficiently buzzed, and the light tint on his cheeks is proof. ]