Luci banged out the last of the song in a heated effort, her adrenaline rushing from slamming the club’s drum kit for the last hour. Many thrown-together bands couldn’t pull off an hour long set and hold the crowd, but because the blonde rocker had such a natural knack for beat – her bands were almost always the best in the house. Panting and smiling, her frame clad in a black and grey camouflage bra, a pair of torn black ‘emo’ pants and her converse-looking Airwalks, she was sweating and didn’t give a shit.

As the set came to an end and the audience cried out their applause and rose their fists to the air in solute to the rock band, Luci grinned from ear to ear, pulling her long wavy locks into a pathetic attempt at a pony-tail. Her hands tremored slightly from playing the drums so hard and she felt the rush of playing for a large crowd; it was akin to that rush she received when using heroin, only this particular rush didn’t kill her. She’d been clean for six months now and she’d felt better with each passing day, though she still felt the urge to use, like every other recovering addict.

Making her way from the stage to the green room, she grabbed her studded leather vest and made her way to the front of the club to drink at the bar like a normal customer. On her way she was met by fans and was even high-fived right before reaching the bar stools, her flushed face portraying her happiness along with a sort of sexy cockiness she carried naturally.

Sitting at the middle stool, the seat torn on one edge from her studded jeans catching there months before, Luci nodded shortly to the barman and smiled. “The usual, Mikey.” When the muscled American man returned, she was happy to see that he’d finally remember that she’d given up alcohol for the sake of her sobriety and strictly drank juice and soda. The drink he set before her was a tall glass filled with strawberry, banana and blueberry juice topped with Sprite and ice – total perfection.

Isabelle was not drunk. She'd been drinking, yes, and probably shouldn't drive, but the word was impaired and not drunk. She took another sip of beer, listened to the driving sound of the music. It wasn't bad, the beer or the music, even though she didn't know much about either, except Jerrel kept buying her more of the former and bopping around to the latter. He probably thought if she knocked enough brew back the bopping would impress her enough to let him into her pants.

The blond snickered a little at her own thoughts. Hey, at least he didn't mistake her for a man like that dude asking for directions the other day. Her hair wasn't that short. Thinking on it, she tugged a little at her choppy gold locks, glanced down at her plain jeans and button-down shirt. So she didn't dress kinda rocker awesome like the drummer... didn't mean she looked like a man.

Isabelle frowned a little and drank more beer. It sorta tasted better the more she drank.

Aw, now she was out and Jerrel was too busy bopping to notice. That was fine. She could buy her own. Surprisingly steady on her feet, Isabelle made her way through the crowd to the bar, caught the attention of the bartender. He nodded in her direction as he handed a glass to someone... hey, it was the drummer! Isabelle moseyed over a little closer, tapped the girl on the shoulder. "I liked your music."

When Luci felt the tap on her shoulder she first assumed it would be the club's manager bringing her the night's payoff, but it was a young girl in jeans and a button-up. Not exactly rocker wear, but she looked friendly enough. Smiling, the drummer took a quick swig of her cold drink and let her arms rest against the bar, "Well, that's what I was hopin' for, kiddo." Luci didn't know how old the other girl was, but she assumed she was young enough to either be late in high school or early in college. Patting the stool next to her, she exhaled a mouthful of air and brushed back a lock of her wavy blonde hair that had fallen onto her sweaty forehead, a bead of sweat making the hair cling there for dear life.

"Name's Luci." She nodded slowly, her pretty features friendly as they always were, but the rush of having just played still lingering in her system made her green eyes seem brighter. Luci looked the other woman up and down, taking in her whole frame before she sat where Luci had pat the neighboring stool. The girl wasn't ugly by any means, but she inwardly wondered if she'd been mistaken for a man - a harsh reality for some women who chose to dress against the orthodox.

Noting the empty bottle in the others' hand, she tapped the bar with her open hand then pointed at the girl next to her, Mikey immediately getting the point. "Let me buy you another, I get a discount - cause I'm hot shit." Luci laughed lightly at her small joke and found her face to still be hot, so she picked up her own glass and let the cold condensation press against her hot flesh. The sensation made her sigh, "Ah, that's good." The comment was more to herself than to the girl who took the bench beside her, "So what's your name?"

Now that she had said the opening words here, Isabelle was a touch flummoxed as to how to proceed. She wasn't usually the one who started a conversation; not being brash or somewhat cocky like her teammates could be. In fact, most of her friends were more outgoing than she was, more of the type to start a conversation. But, since she'd been invited to, Isabelle eased onto the stool, felt the well-worn padding immediately sink down to wood.

"Isabelle," she responded, tamping down on the automatic urge to hold out a hand. Her small-town manners and mannerisms had earned her the nickname "Smallville" amongst her teammates. As Luci got the barkeep's attention, Isabelle automatically opened her mouth to (politely) object, but then decided not to, mostly because the bartender was already setting a fresh beer in front of her. "Thanks," she said, popping the cap off the bottle with her thumb.

Unsure again of how to handle herself, Isabelle took a sip of the beer, glancing at the other woman out of the corner of her eyes. Luci was only a little bit shorter than she was, Isabelle noted. Her eyes were very green. Spinning the top to the bottle, Isabelle glanced back at Luci, having glanced away for a moment so she wouldn't seem like she'd been staring. "So... I really don't know that much about music," she confessed with a slightly sheepish smile.

Luci could tell almost instantly that this girl was a fish out of water socially, at least at that moment. The blonde smirked, nodding her thanks to Mikey and taking a swig of her fruit drink, "Nice name, Isabelle." In most cases it was a compliment, but Luci wanted to say the name out loud for herself. It wasn't one she heard every day, after all. As the moments passed and she gazed openly at the other girl, who was pretty even if she didn't know it, the ex-junkie realized she was trying to avoid giving the impression she was staring. Something in the way she darted her eyes away every few seconds made her think of someone who was approaching someone they like at a high school dance but had little knowledge of what to say. Then Isabelle inforced that impression with her admittance of having little knowlege of music.

Laughing boldly, the hardy sound something derived from her scottish heritage she was told, Luci smiled friendily. "Don't worry, kid. Not many people do. It's all about what you enjoy, rather than what you know." She took a small pull on the straw Mikey put in her drink and smirked after swallowing, "You see, some people who spout out band names, record labels and music editors can be pretty pretencious and know little about actually enjoying the music they hear." Luci gestured to Isabelle with a smile and a wave of her hand though her frame was still facing the bar before her, "And considering you were brave enough to approach the drummer, I'd say you truly enjoyed the music."

Some bands carried the stigma of having a 'grumpy drummer'; something that her thrown-together bands were familiar with only because Luci carried herself with confidence and an air of badassery. Personally, it kept Luci was having to meet up with weird groupies and talk to college reporters when the rest of the band did. Nobody wants to interview or sleep with someone who might spontaneously freak out on them. "So, Isabelle... If not music, then what do you know lots about?" The blonde grinned, glad to have someone to talk to rather than just sitting there alone, "You have the look of a college student about you."

Isabelle was more than a fish out of water, socially. She was more like a newborn baby in the world of being social or chatting up people in bars. Friendly chatter before and after classes was about the only time she'd been social--even going back to the beginning of high school. She wasn't sure if that was sad or just... sad. Yeah, it was probably sad. "Thanks, I, uh, like it" she said somewhat lamely when Luci complimented her name, further displaying her sad, sad lack of social skills.

Still, Isabelle flashed a smile of her own as Luci burst into laughter. It was more of an amused laughter than a "wow, what a moron" laughter, so she could smile along. "Yeah, I really did," Isabelle confirmed, taking a sip of her beer before adding, "and I really have no clue about the rest of... of whatever it is you're talking about." She grinned again on the last part. Now that that was all settled and everything...

Glancing down at herself, Isabelle lifted her eyebrows a little. "I do?" she asked, though it was more or less rhetorical. She supposed it was better than giving off a high schooler vibe. "Me? I know sports. Mostly American football, but I dabble in boxing and some amateur MMA. I did some hurdling in high school, too." Isabelle took a sip of her drink, knowing that with her whole blue-eyed and blonde thing she had going on, most people were surprised that she was a sports junkie. "This being Canada and all, I'm thinking of trying out snowboarding. That stuff looks badass."

Luci smirked when Isabelle let loose an obvious lack of social facilitation, the younger girl trying her best not to be awkward at the compliment showing Luci she didn't get them often. The drummer used to know quite a few people like that who eventually sprouted into outgoing, lively citizens; it was just a matter of comfort zones. And Isabelle obviously wasn't too comfortable with compliments or talk of music, though, for Luci, it was good to know she at least enjoyed it.

"Think of it like this, babe." Luci gave the other a friendly grin after taking a swig from her drink, "People who know nothing tend ta talk out their arse, while people who genuinely enjoy music don't go blabbing names ta look cool. Ya fall under the latter group, kid. Ya enjoyed my music enough ta approach and were honest about knowing very little of music; it's a good thing, trust me."

The recovering junkie drank her fruity wonder and grinned as she listend to Isabelle speak. When the girl got going about something she knew, she was cute, and Luci appreciated it when people came out of their shells so to speak. "Snowboarding? I've never been. But I do agree - it looks amazingly badass." Luci turned her slight frame towards Isabelle and smiled, enjoying the way the open air away from the bar's edge cooled her sweaty torso, "Especially when they do timed competitions on iced-over half pipes. Once saw a guy snap his femor right out of his fuckin' leg landin' wrong!" She gestured openly with her hands and laughed, slapping her palm on the bar when she said the word 'snap' to emphasize it.

Because Isabelle had played it down that she didn't realize she looked like a college student and then spoke of hurdling in High School, Luci became curious as to just how old the cute girl was. "So, Issy." Luci grinned, hoping to get away with calling her that, "How old are ya, really? I mean, if ya did hurdling that means yer out of high school, but ya didn't think about yerself bein' of college calibur visually.... Where's that put ya on the calender, kid?" Luci tended to go back and forth between her gutter-punk language and the tight vocabulary she had from being well educated as a child. It made it hard for some of her friends to understand her, though she was sure Isabelle wouldn't mind it, the girl was pretty chill aside from her lack of social graces.

Isabelle winced at Luci's pantomime of a leg breaking. She'd seen some nasty breaks in her time as an athlete and, while the rest of the snowboarding story sounding fairly awesome, the idea of injuries like that was more cringe-worthy than anything else. "Damn," she said faintly, deciding not to comment much more.

'Issy'? That was a new one. Only her mom usually called her anything but her full first name or surname. Not that Isabelle really minded. As long as it wasn't an insult, anything was pretty much fine with her. "Well, I'm actually a sophomore at DU," she replied with a little smile, "But a lot of people think I'm still a high-schooler." Isabelle figured it was because she never wore makeup or "girly" clothes. Which sort of made it her own fault, didn't it?

"So, what about you?" she asked absently as she took another swallow of her beer.

Luci noted the wince at her remark about the guy cleaving his femur, and could understand immediately what it was about. One of her own brothers was very into sports and one couldn't even joke about broken or sprained bones in his presence without him cursing about being jinxed to get one. "Yeah, but it's all about how you deal with yourself during sports like that that dictates damage - so I have a feeling a pretty, strong thing like you would be fine." Luci winked playfully and helped herself to a long pull from her drink, sweat still beading on her forehead, arms and chest. Despite the coolness of her drink, Luci still felt the immense heat from drumming on top of the warmth of many bodies in an enclosed space. "Phew, it's hotter than Satan's ass in here." She contemplated stepping outside into the cool night air but decided against it for fear this new girl might think her running away and she wouldn't get to keep talking to her. She was genuinely interested in the girl.

"Sophomore at DU? You don't say." She smirked and turned more toward Isabelle, "What you studying? Or do you know your major yet?"

The platinum blonde wiped her cheek free of a thin layer of sweat and pressed her cold glass to it, "Me, I'm a geezer practically." She joked with a grin, "Twenty three." It was stated with a playful smirk to let Isabelle know she really didn't think herself old, but Luci most definitely held herself like someone with more worldly experience than one her age should have.

The green eyes woman's thoughts returned to Issy saying she was at DU and a flag went up. "Just off hand, babe. Because you really don't look the type but I have to know - you're not like... In the drug scene over there or anything, right?" Her expression was soft but still somewhat serious, she wasn't going to hang out or even get momentarily attached to someone who was into drugs. She couldn't relapse. She wouldn't.

Once Isabelle got going on something, it was hard to get a word in edgewise. Such was the case as Luci mentioned the bit about how it was all in how you dealt with yourself that "dictated the damage". The blond nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly. That's why most accidents in sports are, like, freak accidents. Coaches know a lot more about conditioning than they used to, so people get hurt less often. Although I think on the flip side, it also means that, um, that most, I mean, it means most injuries are worse." Isabelle stumbled noticeably as Luci continued, the "pretty" comment throwing her off a little.

God. She might as well staple a sign to her forehead that said "WARNING, SOCIAL AMATEUR". Trying to ignore it, she took another sip of her drink, and then laughed at Luci's comment on the heat. "That's definitely a new one," Isabelle stated, though she agreed with the statement completely.

As the other woman asked about her plan of study, Isabelle kinda bobbed her head to one side and lifted her shoulder in a half shrug. "Right now, I'm mostly trying to get my gen-eds out of the way. But I'm pretty sure I'll stay a sociology major--which is what I am now." She gave a quick laugh and added, "It is the 'athlete' major, after all." Isabelle knew most schools with big-time athletic programs funneled the players into sociology or general education or certain business majors because they were built to be the 'easy' track. DU's wasn't, but the perception was usually out there. She kinda doubted that Luci had it, though.

"The drug scene?" Isabelle shook her head adamantly. "No way." She held up the beer bottle. "I don't get much stronger than this, really. The whole 'my body is my temple' and blah blah blah." Sure, she wasn't a teetotaler or a saint. She'd been wasted once before, but it wasn't a regular thing. Rolling the almost empty bottle across her forehead in a search for some coolness, Isabelle tipped it back to finish it off. It was still hot and getting louder in the club--not really the best spot for a conversation. "Hey, you wanna get some air, or something?" she suggested, slightly uncomfortable in the cram of people.

Luci noted that flustering the overcame Isabelle and smirked, the girl was definitely a piece of work. She had the overt confidence of a six year old, the appearance of a hot, sporty high schooler and she was adamnt about things when she finally got to say her peace. "Yeah, coaches know more than they used to, but it's also the player's responsibility not to play hero when the chances aren't really presented; that certainly contributes to the damage one takes." She continued with a smile, her features still flushed red from drumming and the general mass of people in the club.

She hadn't meant to, certainly not considering Isabelle's social awkwardness and seemingly amateur conversation abilities, but when the girl put the mostly empty beer to her forehead - Luci kind of stared. It was only brief and she averted her green eyes before the girl could catch her, but it had happened. There was just something about a girl when she was hot, the recovering junkie had always had a thing for it. Covering her staring blunder with a long pull from her drink that nearly finished it off, Luci continued talking. She let out a small laugh and brushed back a stray piece of matted platinum blonde hair from her face, "I thought most sports addicts took on carpentry and shtick like that." It was a joke, of course, but she wanted to say anything to cover the strange guilt she felt for staring at the young girl. And it didn't help that she'd said the word 'addicts' - made her feel like she'd just put a sign over her head pointing down to her that read 'JUNKIE - BEWARE'. Yeah, she was clean, but there was always a chance she'd fall off the wagon - hard.

A mental sigh of relief came over Luci when Isabelle stated she had no interaction with drugs or alcohol beyond the few beers she'd obviously had that night. She was glad too, because the girl was cute, and if there was a chance she'd get to spend more time with her - it would be awesome. Luci laughed lightly about the 'my body is a temple' remark only because it was a mantra that a few in the 'clean up' centers, as she called them, would repeat over and over when they got a strong craving. "Most definitely better to have a fully operating temple." She smirked before nodding in reply to the other blonde's question. "Yeah, we can get outta here. The bouncer knows I'm with the band and if you're with me when, or if," Luci added in non-chalantly, "you want to come back in, you can."

Standing up from the bar stool and throwing two fivers down on the bar, the platinum blonde turned and faced the sportsy DU student. Luci gestured towards the crowd and the door with an arm, "After you, kid." Her smile was genuine in that the other girl wouldn't be able to see the whirl wind of things going on in her mind. Thoughts of scoring some heroin, remindering herself to not stare at the girl again or get caught doing it and most of all, to scam out and see if perhaps the girl was into girls. Yes, she wasn't the most adept conversationalist. But Isabelle was something to be desired anyway.

Isabelle smiled, showing a slightly crooked eyetooth, as she flashed a quick grin. Although she knew some other girls who liked sports, she certainly hadn't expected to meet one in a bar. Maybe there was something to this whole 'clubbing' thing... She glanced around, her pale blue eyes tracking over the pulsing, sweaty club-goers. Well, maybe, but she was still out of her element.

Catching Luci just as the other girl looked away, Isabelle wondered what she was thinking. Though the two looked somewhat similar, tall and blonde, Isabelle couldn't help but feel like a bland, boring lump next to the rocking, somehow exotic Luci.

The blond snorted as Luci mentioned carpentry for sport-addicts. "Yeah, I'd probably hack a finger off or something," she deadpanned. Her clumsy hands were why she'd usually played defense or as a blocker in high school. "Can you imagine me wielding some power saw or something?" Isabelle asked jokingly, holding her hands up as an example. Unlike most girls, Isabelle's hands were obviously not pampered. The nails were short and unpolished, the knuckles fairly big. One middle finger was slightly bent at the middle. In all actuality, though, the nicks and dings made her look more suited to carpentry work than most girls.

"Awesome," Isabelle remarked as Luci explained her deal with the bouncer. Sliding off the stool with more grace than could usually be expected of someone with a few beers knocked away, she scanned the crowd, thinking it wouldn't be particularly friendly of her to leave (maybe) without Jerrel. Spotting him grinding away with some chick in painted on clothes, however, absolved her of any preemptive guilt. Yeah, he probably wouldn't miss her. Taking Luci up on her offer, Isabelle gracelessly muscled her way through the crowd towards the door rather than winding her way through. As soon as she stepped outside, she took a nice lungful of the cool air--refreshing after the warmth and cigarette smoke of the club. "Ah, much better."

Luci laughed lightly along with Isabelle, admiring her smile though it had a crooked tooth, "Being a sports fan I figured ye'd have more coordination, babe. My bad." She jested, noting that the DU sophomore was scanning the crowd for a particular person, unexpected disappointment filling her thin frame. Following the other blonde out through the crowd, a few people giving her a high five or a 'great show' on her way past, Luci smirked to herself as she noted Isabelle leaving the other person in the dust for the moment. She wasn't exactly a local celebrity, but when one played a show at the same club a few nights in a row and the crowd dug it; it was hard not to be recognized.

As her hot flesh met the cool night air, Luci actually shivered involuntarily, small goosebumps breaking out across her bare, lily white arms and shoulders. "You can say that again. Jeez, I sometimes forget how much nicer it is just to step out, ye know?" Slumping against the bricked wall outside the club in the alleyway entrance, the platinum blonde took advantage to look Isabelle over again in a little better lighting of the street lamps. She had a nice frame and her features were beautiful, in a way that suggested she was little aware of it; Isabelle was fun to look at.

Pulling one foot up to meet the bricked wall while the other converse-clad foot planted itself to the cracked pavement, Luci eyed the other girl. She reached up and yanked out her hair tie to allow her long, wavy locks to fall about her face for a moment before she combed through it with her boney fingers and put it back up in a neater pony tail at the back of her head. "Tell me something, Issy. The person in there that ye were lookin' for - are he, she, they someone who would be jealous of you leaving with the drummer of a band?"

{{Sorry it's so short, I've been evicted after 10 months of battling with my land lord so time is restricted unfortunately >_< Next one will be bigger, promise!! *huggles da Rommy*}}

OOC: Don't worry, it's fine! It's not how long the post is, after all, it's whatcha do with it! ;)

"Ah, much better," Isabelle repeated as Luci followed her out the door, managing to keep pretty much the same intonation as before. Laughing, she turned to glance at the other woman, noticed the shiver. "Here," she said, shrugging out of her long-sleeved shirt and helpfully draping it over Luci's shoulders. Her fingers skimmed (inadvertently) over Luci's pale skin, felt the bumps of gooseflesh... Isabelle managed to not flush as she pulled her hands back and stuck them in her pockets.

Mirroring Luci a little and leaning back against the cold, rough brick herself, Isabelle let her head tip back as she looked up towards the sky. The stars were almost invisible here, with the city lights diluting the black of the cloudless sky. "I like it. I always liked being outside, cold or no. Back home, we live pretty much in the middle of nowhere and nothing. Part of why my brothers and I played sports out of the time. In Alliance, there wasn't even any trouble to get into." As she spoke the last words, Isabelle rubbed idly at an ugly scar on her forearm. "The city is weird." It suddenly occurred to her that she must sound like some country bumpkin to the older, more experienced Luci. Turning her head slightly to sneak a peek at the other woman, Isabelle studied the casual, confident pose and felt what was surely a tug of longing.

Her pale, icy-blue eyes flicked away again.

"Who?" Isabelle asked, baffled as Luci asked about someone being jealous about her leaving with a member of the band. "Oh. Jerrel?" She laughed--hard. "I think he might want in my pants, but jealous? Nah. He'll go find some flavor of the week to keep him occupied." Hooking her thumbs in her belt loops, Isabelle went on, "He's OK and all, but... I dunno." Smiling her little crooked smile again, she plucked at her plain black t-shirt. "He's mostly just attracted to the novelty--girl on the football team and all. Not like I hold it against him or anything."

Luci smiled her thanks and cocked a brow at the other girl, admiring the smell of the shirt thrown on her bare shoulders. "Thanks, kid." It wasn't very often that a straight girl would sacrifice her outer shirt for another girl who wore only a bra and studded leather vest. Not to mention the brush of Isabelle's fingers over her flesh, accidentally; it was making for a pretty good chance for Luci to clarify if the other blonde liked girls. She spent the moments after Isabelle repeated her statement laughing lightly, her green eyes sharper in the clearness of the night air.

"Nortfolk, huh? And where might this nowhere-kind-of-town be exactly, Issy?" She listened to all the girl said and tried to avert her gaze after spotting the scar on her arm, curiosity winning the battle with modesty in a close second. "What happened there, babe?" Luci gestured to the scar with a short nod, her eyes moving over the scar once more before sliding back into place with Isabelle's.

Luci joined in the girl's laughter though not for any particular reason other than to keep the girl smiling that slightly crooked smile. Her laugh was hearty and adorable on her, Luci couldn't help but break out in goosebumps again, but not from the cold. "So Jerrel wants himself some sports babe, huh? And by yer reaction I can only guess that you aren't interest in him or...?" It was a question posed to elicit an answer to the question Luci was dying to ask. There was never a good way to ask a girl if she liked other girls, especially for sports girls because there was already that harsh stereotype that sports babe were dykes, but hopefully Isabelle wouldn't be so closed off from an open ended question like that.

The platinum blonde let her green eyes wander for a moment, her gaze falling slowly to the black shirt Isabelle gestured to and then the rest of the way down until she reached her shoes. The girl was hot, in Luci's eyes anyway, and she wondered if the girl could sense her attraction. Flashing her eyes back to Isabelle's face, Luci smirked devilishly, awaiting her answer with baited breath.

OOC: Oops. I should probably have done some more research into where I set her hometown... I hope you don't mind me changing it. It probably doesn't really matter, but the details would drive me nuts if I kept it as it was.

"Norfolk? It's in Nebraska, towards the eastern border with Iowa," Isabelle replied and, though she had classified it as a place to small to even get in trouble in, she smiled a little as she talked about it. "It's... well, out in the middle of nowhere is about the best it can be described." And she supposed she was enough of a country girl to appreciate--well, at least not mind it too much. She'd lived in the city for over a year, but she still wasn't used to it.

When Luci asked about the scar on her arm, Isabelle glanced down at it. As though she'd just realized that she'd been running her fingertips over the raised ridge of skin, she blinked and stopped. "Oh... I smacked my arm on the pole during a pickup basketball game." She cocked her head to study it as she added, "Bled like a son of a bitch, too." If she didn't quite meet Luci's eyes as she answered, well, surely there was a reason for that.

"Jerrel? He's..." Stopping short of saying he was 'OK' again, Isabelle paused, searching for the right thing to say. "He's not my type," she finished after a long moment.

Although green, Isabelle wasn't completely stupid, and the subtext to Luci's question wasn't lost on her. Opening her mouth as if to say something, she couldn't seem to get it out because, as she glanced towards Luci, her eyes landed on the other woman's face just as Luci's landed on hers and whatever flippant response she'd been about to provide died on her tongue. There was a heat in Luci's brilliantly green eyes that Isabelle felt keenly, felt a rising inside of her that she didn't know how to handle. If she could have backed up, she would have, but she was suddenly very aware of the brick at her back. "I don't--I don't date... guys..."

{{Not a prob, babe, haha. I do shit like that occasionally too. No biggy! ^__^}}


"You grew up with like, cows and shtick? Or is it more two hundred person population where your neighbor's known you since birth, kind of thing?" The question was spoken with an interested tone though for some reason she just didn't imagine Isabelle coming from somewhere like that. She seemed more the small city type who'd only ever been into sports to save from getting sucked into prep culture. But alas, Luci wasn't always right when reading people.

Isabelle's answer to her question seemed a little off and she considered leaving it be for a moment, but couldn't help her curiosity. "Did the fuckin' pole have a spike on it, babe? Or what?" Sarcasm seeped through though she hadn't meant for it to and she ignored a twinge of regret for saying it. If the girl hadn't really gotten the scar from a basketball hoop pole then it was her choice to not tell the truth about it. Maybe it was something she wasn't proud of. Luci's own track marks from shooting up had only faded in the last few months and thinking on it now, she wouldn't have admitted to Isabelle what they really were.

"He's not my type," It was like an answer to her prayers. She'd been so lonely in the last few months that after meeting someone so chill on a night when she'd played an awesome gig; Luci couldn't help but smile then stiffle back her glee with a clearing of her throat.

"Really? Hmm." The platinum blonde played the half-interested card but in reality she was spinning gleefully in circle in her mind. But the glee stopped short when she caught the others girl's gaze at the same moment, the rocker suddenly very aware of the beaded sweat on her skin that had turned cool in the night air.

"I don't--I don't date... guys..." Under normal circumstances, Luci would have made the first move in on the girl and kissed her. But seeing as the girl had a light in her eyes similar to Luci's but with a hint of reservation and almost fear; the recovering addict decided it best to hold back and wait. Though she couldn't find words to fill the space of time after Isabelle spoke.

"Me either..." It was all she could think to say, which was strange because Luci always seemed to have something to say. Smiling openly she let her gaze rest on Isabelle's before shrugging slightly, "Just never liked them." Well, it was as close to screaming 'I'm a lesbian' as Luci could get without making the other girl uncomfortable even more, but it did the job of letting the other blonde know she was not interested in men, at all.

Isabelle laughed at Luci's inquiry about her hometown. "Not really either. It's a little-ish town, about... I dunno, twenty-some thousand." She shrugged a little before adding, "It's pretty blue-collar though. Factory jobs and whatnot. The only time you see a suit is at a wedding or a funeral--and even then it's kind of iffy."

At Luci's acerbic response about the scar, Isabelle's eyes once again wandered downwards, first to the scar, then to some spot to the left of Luci's hip. "Nah... it was just... old. Had some rusty pieces," she said, gesturing vaguely. Her voice was carefully neutral, just barely smoothing over the defensive edge that wanted to creep into it. She should've just kept her stupid shirt on, Isabelle thought to herself. Which was typically good advice any way you cut it.

She smothered a laugh at the thought.

"It's not that I don't like guys. I mean, I have five brothers and I play, you know, guy-heavy sports so, it's not like-I mean... you know..." Jesus. She didn't even know what she meant. "I mean--um, it's just kind of... It's hard to date when you're trying to get respect from teammates and stuff." Isabelle wasn't quite sure what she was trying to explain as she rambled away, or if she was trying to explain the situation to herself or to Luci. "I've never--never really dated... anyone. Jesus." She passed a hand over her face, trying to collect her nerves, which were jumping like toddlers on a trampoline. She could face down 250-pound men running at her with the intent of driving her three feet into the earth without blinking, but now she could hardly think past the leaping nerves in her belly.

Luci probably thought she was an idiot. "Jesus," she muttered again. Isabelle could pick up the unspoken in Luci's words and, well hell, what was she supposed to say? It didn't matter that it kicked her heart into overdrive--something she'd never felt with a guy. Fuck, what did that mean? Anything? "I never wanted to. Date guys," she blurted at last, her pale eyes lifting to Luci's again, even as a faint flush crept up her neck.

Luci watched the poor girl fluster about sports, guys and relationships and couldn't help but laugh lightly and think of a viral video she once saw of a crippled duck trying to walk on its wings instead of its feet. "Don't worry about it." The platinum blonde spoke as the other ran a hand over her face, "Many girls who are busy find it hard to fight the heirarchy of dating and come out on top, even come out at all." The comment's end hadn't been quite how she'd meant for it to sound, but she'd said it and moved on from any embarassment she might have felt. The girl was already flustered, Luci didn't want her to see the ex-junkie flustered too.

Using her hips pressed against the brick wall, Luci slipped Isabelle's shirt off her shoulders exposing her bare arms and what could be seen of her flushed chest and stomach beneath her studded leather vest. Taking advantage to slip in closer, Luci held out the girl's shirt and smiled. "Feeling a little warmer, thanks." It was spoken non-chalantly but her eyes conveyed a very different kind of thanks she wanted to express. Facing her with a cocked brow and a questioning expression the green eyed woman smiled and nodded at the DU sophomore.

"So what about girls, then? If not the struggle with the lads then what of the lasses?"


{{Sorry it blows, babe. :(}}

OOC: Don't worry about it. Long posts just give me an inferiority complex. :lol:

"Tell me about it," Isabelle muttered to herself as Luci spoke. Whatever else she'd been about to say never quite managed to hit the air as Luci slowly let the shirt slide down her shoulders. Her ice-colored eyes followed the edges of the cloth as it revealed the smooth flesh of Luci's arms, then still lower, to take in the way the leather vest left just enough to the imagination to have Isabelle's palms going damp.

It's rude to stare... she thought vaguely, reaching out a hand to take the shirt back. She didn't, though, and just held onto it instead.

"So what about girls, then? If not the struggle with the lads then what of the lasses?"

Isabelle let her hand run up the cloth until it met Luci's. "In high school, I thought it was just a... Being too busy, trying too hard to win respect. That was why I never took any interest in any of the boys there." She trailed her hand, tentatively, over Luci's wrist, though her eyes were steadily on the other girl's face. "I tried not to think about the girls."

She smiled a little. The awkwardness finally seemed to have diminished. "It didn't really work, you know."

Luci didn't openly acknowledge the hand that trailed up the shirt to hers and then finally stopped at her wrist, a smooth smirk gracing her features. She'd caught Issy looking at her flesh where it poked out into the night from beneath her leather vest and decided that the girl was obvious interested it was just a matter of getting her to act on whatever intentions she was thinking about.

The confidence that suddenly gripped Isabelle as she spoke about not being able to ignore the girls in high school was enough to push Luci to that edge where she would be risky and make the first move. Letting go of the shirt and quickly flipping her hand, the platinum blonde gripped Issy's wrist and pulled her into a fiery kiss.

The contact was hot and almost seemed to spark in the cool night around them, it had been ages since last Luci had kissed a girl with such vigor. Placing a hand behind the girl's neck and pulling her closer, Luci pressed the DU student against the wall and crushed her just enough to show she was into the girl but without hurting her.

It seemed just as the moment had started, it was over as the door to the club burst open and a saccophany of metal blasted against their ears and took Luci's attention from kissing to looking. her bright green eyes fell on a tall, somewhat skinny bouncer who only smiled, laughed and walked down the alley to the main street lighting up a cigarette. "Sorry ladies!" The bouncer called over his shoulder, his faint laughing being covered by the 'lol we got caught' kind of chuckle that escaped Luci's lips, though she kept them hovered just over Isabelle's.

She had to admit, she hadn't been expecting Luci's move. But when the other girl's hand circled around her wrist and pulled, Isabelle didn't resist. The shirt dropped to the pavement, forgotten, as movement seemed to speed up and slow down simultaneously. She could see the smug smile cruise over Luci's pretty, wickedly angelic face, but before she could take the time to appreciate it, the other blond's mouth was on hers.

Isabelle had never kissed before. Ever. It was like... like being jolted all the way down to the soles of her feet. Luci's lips were soft and hot, almost searing after the coolness of the air, though she didn't mind. As Luci's arms snaked around her and drove her back into the wall with surprising strength, Isabelle hardly noticed the rough brick bumping into her back. Her hands clamped on Luci's hips, as if to pull the other girl even closer as she was dragged under the heat of the kiss.

It was over all too soon as the club door opened to pour out sound and splinter the moment. As the bouncer popped out of the club, Isabelle blinked a couple of times and sucked in a shocked breath. She wasn't the type to end up squished against club walls kissing some girl she'd just met.

She could feel the warmth of Luci's breath ghosting over her lips, like a wispy substitute for the blond's own mouth... "That was..." Isabelle trailed off, and then just grinned.

The girl's hand hard on her hips only proved to show Luci that this may have very well been Isabelle's first kiss with a girl, or her very first kiss. Either way, she'd done just fine and the ex-junkie felt all the more lucky for having made the first move. Hands shaking slighty and her lips quivering to linger on the other blonde's once again, Luci too couldn't help but grin at the girl's words.

The situation was comical and beautiful in a sense. Comical because of the obvious inexperience of the DU student but beautiful because it was Luci who'd shown her even a smidgen of the ropes. "That's what we call hot." There were many other things in her mind, but they weren't thing one could get away with saying out loud. So she settled with the huskily spoken comment and pressed the girl harder against the wall, moving one hand down to rest two fingers in the girl's left front pocket. Though they didn't do anything, it was just to elicit a bit of excitement and perhaps a little virgin fear from her; just to test her limits.

The door to the club finally clapped shut after the pressurized spring let go of it's pressure and the music stopped, though in her mind Luci could hear a saccophany of quick-paced rock music in her head; the likes of which one hears in hollywood movies when two hot chicks make out in such a setting.

"Wanna do it again?"

Isabelle could feel the tremble in Luci's hands. It seemed only fair, as she wasn't sure if she was shaking or if it was just her heart leaping into overdrive. Her pulse turned over with a thud at the other girl's throaty comment, then shot up again as she felt Luci's fingers hook into her pocket.

Isabelle wasn't sure she'd ever been so aware of... everything. It all struck her in a mishmash of sensation--the brick at her back, the bumpy leather of Luci's vest, the heat that seemed to radiate from the other like flame. It was as though adrenaline had set Isabelle's nerves on edge.

When Luci spoke again, Isabelle couldn't keep the smile from stretching slowly across her face. "I thought you'd never ask," she said, her voice just barely above a whisper. "But..." she let her sentence fade into silence as she trailed her hands from Luci's hips, up to the smooth skin of her arms. Isabelle moved slowly, more from inexperience than design. She mirrored Luci's own stance, her fingers curling in the other's hair to lightly cup the back of her head. "I might not be very good at this," Isabelle warned, before kissing the other girl. It was a little more... tame this time, as hesitance and eagerness were tangling inside her.

That smile - the shorter woman was sure that the DU student was unsure of her true beauty, which was a shame because she was beautiful. Isabelle's slow touches made Luci shiver as she had when they first entered the cool night air. "There's no way to be a bad kisser, love." The green eyed woman smirked before sliding into the softer kiss, her lips separating skillfully to allow her straight teeth access to Isabelle's lower lip. Nibbling on the lip between half-broken and tender kisses, Luci coudln't help but moan.

Snaking her fingers that delved into the sports girl's pocket out again to sneak them between the girl's shirt and her skin, Luci let her thin and cool fingers slink against Isabelle's smooth skin. "Let me know," The blonde moved her other hand to the other's jeans hemn and brushed the fingers just a few inches down into the front of her pants. "When you panic." Her words were spoken in a hungry whisper between kisses, letting Isabelle know that she was more than willing to stop the second she became uncomfortable.

She hadn't quite noticed it before, but Isabelle's hair somewhat short hair smelled sweet and nice despite them both having just left and hot and sweaty club. Using her slight weight against the other blonde, because she couldn't get real leverage being a full inch and a half shorter, Luci tangled a thin leg about Isabelle's and pressed their hips together.

Isabelle shuddered with each separate touch. It was just as powerful as the first kiss had been. Luci's lips were smooth, warm, and Isabelle, distantly, heard herself whimper as they parted and she felt the nip of the drummer's teeth. The way they scraped across her lips made her suck in a breath. Tentatively, she touched the tip of her tongue to Luci's teeth.

The feeling of someone else's mouth against hers, of the gentle bite--it was almost dizzying. It was all new, unfamiliar, and each new touch was a new discovery. At Luci's whispered words, Isabelle took a moment to pause, to try to make some sense of all she was feeling, but it was a lost cause.

Then she felt Luci's fingertips against her skin, surprisingly cool. The strong muscles in Isabelle's stomach jumped under the touch and Isabelle's fingers tensed. When she felt Luci's leg curving around her own, she suddenly felt as if the closeness was too much. She was trapped, pinned between the other girl and the wall. "Wait. Wait," Isabelle pulled back as much as she could, feeling her breath catch in her chest as though bands were suddenly there, squeezing until air came in straw-sized gasps.

Isabelle turned away from Luci, gasping for air pressing one hand to the walls for balance as she struggled to breathe. In some distant place far removed from herself, she realized that she was having an anxiety attack, but even recognizing it for what it was and knowing how to deal with it, she still nearly went under. Sweat bloomed on her forehead and face and tremors spread until she nearly went down to her knees.

Luci felt as if things were going swimmingly, just slow, steady and enjoyable until Isabelle's breathing took a turn from half moans to gasps and then she apparently began to panic. The blonde felt bad and untangled herself from the taller girl, "I'm sorry!" Her tone was quick and apologetic, her brows furrowed in a 'did I hurt you' kind of way. "I didn't mean to..."

The recovering addict let the other girl have a little space but only a little, keeping herself directly in front of her and only a few inches away so that if the girl fell at least Luci could attempt to keep her from falling hard. She noted the sweat breaking out on Isabelle's face and knew instantly that the girl was suffering a form of anxiety attack, something virgins and noobs to sexual interactions were prone to. "Just try ta-" She was unable to finish as Isabelle finally succumbed to her body's poor reaction and fell to her knees, Luci being dragged down too as she attempted to keep the girl from falling onto her face onto the cracked cement under their feet.

"Isabelle, try to slow your breathing." Lifting the girl's face to meet her emerald green gaze, Luci gave a worried look and hoped to all the powers that might be that the girl didn't pass out. There was no way that a recovering addict could carry another person of similar size, let alone someone who had an inch and a half in height and at least ten pounds in weight over her. Luci's frame was just too weak.

"Ye've gotta breathe normally, babe. Breathe with me." Sucking in long breaths through her nose and exhaling elongated ones from her mouth, the blonde nodded slowly to Isabelle to do the same.

"It's not--not..." Isabelle managed to get out, then stopped trying to talk. Hunched on her knees, half-bent as though kneeling in prayer, she concentrated on trying to slow her breathing, on riding the attack out instead of panicking and making it worse. The first time she had had an attack, she'd been terrified, had thought that she was having a heart attack. Chest pain, shortness of breath. She had felt like she was smothering, not enough air even though she'd been gasping for it.

Thinking about it now reminded her that this attack wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Then she blocked it off, as she did before she went into a game. She just had to block it out. Stop breathing so hard, she told herself, almost hearing her own voice in her ears as it came from the weirdly calm place that part of her seemed to go during an attack. Then she realized it was Luci's voice. Concentrating on it, she slowly, painfully, began to feel her breathing even out, though her heart was still thundering in her chest.

Even though she ached as though she'd just finished running wind sprints, she managed to turn, flop against the wall, head tipped back and eyes shut. As always, the feeling of embarrassment washed over her. "Sorry... I did try to warn you though," Isabelle said, trying for a lighter tone at the end of the sentence.

Luci watched closesly as the panic attack passed and Isabelle regained some of her composure. Falling again the wall and trying to match light of the slightly embarassing situation. It was only embarassing for Luci because she hadn't taken the apparent hint that the other girl had given her. "Didn't catch that memo, babe." She jested lightly and smirked, crouching on the balls of her sneaker clad feet, arms folded over her knees as she watched the other blonde.

It had been a while since she'd been with someone who panicked when brought to close to something their body's hadn't adujsted to. Luci felt bad that she hadn't noted the simple signs that the girl was beginning to panic or she would have stopped sooner or taken things slower.

"Sorry Isabelle." Smirking half-heartedly to show she was really sorry but trying not to act like she felt embarassed, the light blonde scratched the back of her neck and let her emerald green eyes wander over Isabelle as she sat against the wall. "Guess this means we're done here? Or will you be alright?"

{{Sorry it sux, limited time.}}

Isabelle let her eyes remain shut as she leaned against the wall, legs sprawled out before her as if she were simply lounging against the side of a club. "Don't worry, it's not your fault," she assured Luci, cracking one eye open as she felt the other girl crouch down beside her. Pausing, she sighed. Adrenaline rushes could leave one feeling a bit drained... like now. She was practically floating, though the earlier beers might have contributed to that too...

"I have... I sometimes..." Isabelle gave a false-start a couple of times, trying to figure out what it was she wanted to say. Sighing again, she pulled a knee up to rest her elbow on it, her eyes open and fixed squarely on her shoe. "I have anxiety attacks sometimes. Like when I'm doing something I've never done before or--" she rubbed her hand over her face, "Or when I feel trapped or... something."

When Luci spoke again, Isabelle's response was unintelligible as she dropped her head into her hands. "I'll be alright." She rubbed her palms on her jeans, trying to work up the nerve to... "Do you have gigs here a lot?" Isabelle asked, taking the slightly wimped-out route rather than doing what she really wanted and asking for the other girls number. She'd work up to that.

Luci watched the other girl intently as she had when they both moved to the ground, it was incredible how the body could react to stimulus. With the blonde rocker it was easy, if her body was excited she would sometimes get a jones for heroin that would knock an elephant on its ass, but she would pull through by riding it out on some girl's body. Apparently with Isabelle it was panic attacks.

"I understand, no biggy. Glad to hear you'll live." Patting the girl's outer thigh with a playful bat of the hand, Luci smiled and offered a hand to help pull the girl to her feet. "Ready to get up and be somebody?" It was a jestful question that she asked with a sarcastic grin.

As she waited to pull the girl to her feet or be told that Isabelle wanted to remain on the ground for a moment longer, the drummer answered her question. "I do gigs here, there... everywhere." The last word was said with a playful smirk that she hadn't meant to let escape. Luci was really into the DU student and she felt bad that their first physical encounter had gone this way, but perhaps if they exchanged numbers, they could give this a shot again in a more intimate setting.

"Why?"

A wave of relief washed through Isabelle at Luci's lighthearted reaction. Sometimes people got... weird about her panic attacks. Like they thought she was going to flip out on them or start speaking in tongues, a la a paranoid schizophrenic. But Luci seemed to just get it--no questions, no askance looks, nothing. Smiling, she accepted the drummer's outstretched hand, and popped up smoothly enough. "Ready, willing, and able, even," Isabelle replied.

When Luci confirmed that she played gigs most everywhere, Isabelle felt another rush, though this time it wasn't of relief. "I was just wondering... I don't really go to clubs and bars much," she laughed a little and lifted her eyebrows in an 'aren't you shocked?' sort of expression at that. "But I'd like to see you again... in fact, hey, are you free this weekend?" Isabelle asked, lighting into an idea. "My school is playing their first home game on Saturday. I could probably get you a ticket too, I get them free for being a player."

Isabelle's allotment of tickets usually ended up being given away. Her family was scattered about, with her parents and grandparents back in Nebraska, and football just wasn't big enough in Demaitre to make selling them very doable. It would be nice to finally put one to actual use.

The light laugh that Luci let loose after Isabelle's comment about being able carried forward when the DU student gave her a 'aren't you shocked' look about not being a club and bar hopper. It was true, the girl didn't really look the part of a constant rocker or bar hopper, but it was good that she'd expanded her horizens that evening or else Luci wouldn't have met her.

And though she realized she wouldn't have missed the girl, because she wouldn't have met her, Luci liked to think that her night wouldn't have turned out for the best had she not run into the girl. It was always nice to have a physical distraction when one was going through a rough craving, which had been partially responsible for her shaking hands.

"Football game, huh? Let me think..." Luci's green eyes wandered about anywhere but Isabelle's gaze and then finally snapped back into place as if she were done checking her mental date book. "I gotta gig Sunday night, but other than that I'm free." There was a giddy feeling burrying itself in Luci's thin body that she couldn't shake. The blonde knew it was excitment over this coming weekend but it was also the possibility that she'd just found someone she could enjoy seeing again and again as opposed to one night stands and the like. Stablity was good for recovering addicts. "Count me in, love."