chase sui wonders + she/her + cis woman – have you seen lorelei wu around long beach? the twenty four year old can be spotted at the skyline mall during their free time. word around the city is that they’re passionate and intuitive, yet, they can also be unreliable and judgemental, but you didn’t hear that from me. they’re currently a bartender at adam & steve’s lair and have been in the city for two years. when i think of them, i think of fighting for your life to free a necklace from a cluster of jewellery, the excitement of watching a scary movie for the first time, stolen lighters, and tarot cards at a house party to try and make friends. they’re typically seen walking the streets of long beach with her staffie mix rescue named angel. let’s hope the city treats them well!
basics.
full name: lorelei wu
nicknames: lori, lei
age: twenty four
pronouns: she/her
gender: cis woman
sexuality: bisexual (questioning whether she's bi or gay currently)
birthday: june 8th 1968
zodiac: gemini sun, scorpio moon, aries rising
hometown: decatur, illinois
time in long beach: 2 years
occupation: bartender at adam and steve's lair (recent hire)
relationship status: single
mbti type: ENFP
fc: chase sui wonders
pinterest board (some non-90s stuff in there my apologies)
more info.
eldest daughter born into a family of very dedicated evangelical christians, lorelei spent a good portion of her life trying to fit in where she did not. she wanted to be a good daughter, a good christian, and a good person – but in so many ways she never met the mark on any of those things. by the time she was a teenager, her younger brother was old enough to relieve her of some of the pressure. the fact that she started to mumble hymns and avoid youth group at every opportunity didn't go unnoticed, but it did go unmentioned.
the first real strike came when she was 16 and she started dating her first kinda serious boyfriend. he understood her in a way no one else had, and when she said she didn't want to go to church anymore he said he'd cover for her. always find them something to do so she would be busy. though it provided much relief, it upset her parents deeply. and suddenly that outsider feeling was growing stronger and stronger, ostracised by her parents and brother. left feeling alone, save for her boyfriend.
so it wasn't all that surprising when about a year later, lorelei and her boyfriend decided to run away. leaving their high school educations unfinished with the dream of freedom paired warmer weather. and for the next five years it was exactly that. making their way towards the west coast. but unfortunately, like most things, it wasn't all sunshine. relying on each other that much became tough for the young couple. while they understood each other in a way that made their lives easier, they also understood each other in a way that made them experts at twisting the knives in the other's stomach.
two years ago, her boyfriend caught her cheating and that's when things ended finally between them. she does deeply regret the choices she made, but in some ways she's glad that it ended and glad that it ended when it did. she thinks it was best for the both of them, even if it majorly fucking sucked.
it was after the break up she moved to long beach, desperate to find herself in this new place. she no longer had her family or the church defining her, nor her ex boyfriend. she was just her, and she was determined to find out who that was, and find people that would accept her for that. warts and all.
her first job in long beach was at the pet store (what inspired her to rescue her staffie mix angel <3) but after coming into her own a little bit more, becoming more comfortable with people around her knowing things about her and specifically her sexuality which had been a point of shame most of her life – she decided to apply for a bartending job at adam and steve's lair. and that's basically where she's at now. she's tryna be a good person but more importantly she's tryna be herself !
the summary ;; grew up extremely religious, as a result ran away with her boyfriend at 17 - that relationship was not good. ended just before she moved to long beach, and now she's on a bit of journey to find herself first and then people who can love that self second. accepting her history but also accepting that it doesn't define her. it sucks but its good babes !
looking for.
chosen family ;; whether they feel the same way about lori is debatable but these people are staples now in lori's life. she considers them family, she would do anything for them. they help her and she hopes she helps them too. must be queers. (thinkin maybe 4?)
housemate ;; she works at a bar there's no way she's livin alone. imagining they met when lori took up their ad in the paper and she moved to long beach. upside: lori can cook on a budget, downside: her dog farts in its sleep. (ideally combo the housemate with a chosen family member and they became super close through living together etc, but open to others)
current coworkers ;; she needs a new work bestie pls (even better if its a bit begrudgingly) she cannot thrive without someone to annoy in the workplace
ex coworkers ;; previously worked at pet depot, definitely still wants the gossip yk – also see above she cannot thrive without someone to annoy in the workplace
shmokin pals ;; she smokes weed thats it thats the connections thanks xx
friendships ;; lori is pretty desperate to be friends with everyone she meets but maybe some of those attempts stuck ! she loves horror movies and crafts and music and havin a good old time. she'll read tarot cards for u (and by that i mean she'll tell u what the cards mean and u can interpret it lmao) and will lend u any of her jewellery if u want
hook ups ;; she might be emotionally unavailable for a relationship but she's still a bitch with needs. she is currently leaning more towards women/more femme presenting people but! open to everyone she's in an experimenting era and needs to feel desired or she'll go feral <3
"not as far as i know. i mean, we weren't exactly like, the partridge family or whatever. i don't think we would have made it as a band, honestly. our visions never would have synced up." the music tastes in his family were just far too varied for them to have ever been able to agree on anything, so it was probably for the best that they'd never actually attempted to form a group. "now that's just cruel. middle school is off-limits, everyone knows that." not even he had been immune to some awkwardness during that phase of his life, with legs that had - for whatever reason - seemed determined to grow much faster than the rest of him. "okay, so maybe i exaggerated the always cute thing. but in my defense, middle school doesn't count. no one looks cute in middle school. not even guys that grow up to be total hunks, like myself."
lorelei's nose wrinkled with playful disapproving. " you're ruining the whole image in my head, you know that? " she joked, pushing the cart along the isle. " no but it's cool you guys have that in common, even if your tastes are different and stuff, " she said, glancing over at him, head tilted a little before she looked ahead again. she gave an amused huff of a laugh, " mmmm, i don't remember seeing that in the rule book. feels pretty on-limit to me, " she grinned widely, purposely being contrary. honestly, she'd just be impressed if his dad was carting around a middle school photo at a gig. impressed and just a little afraid. she rolled her eyes dramatically as he referred to himself as a, quote, total hunk. not that he was unattractive, just that lorelei was far from feeling that way about him. " what if i said i was totally adorable in middle school? would that bruise your ego a little bit? " she asked, tone remaining playful as she questioned him.
* status : open !
* location : literally anywhere outside tbh <333
looked like a scene out of a shitty heist movie … sunday sprawled out on the the hood of a stolen borrowed vehicle she could barely pronounce let alone afford, unbuttoned white dress shirt and silk vest of a uniform hanging off her body as if she’d just fast and furioused her way out of some car chase. elated by the california sun, she hadn’t realized her thirty minute break had ended well … sixty minutes ago; didn’t help that she’d been honed in on the exchange unfolding in the distance. even had a snack to mow down on to really elevate the experience, goo-filled gusher popping under a ravenous bite. it wasn’t until things appeared to get heated had she summoned the nearest spectator, “ quick —” a beat, “ you think they’re gonna start throwing punches or start swapping spit ? ”
" i totally knew it was you, " lorelei announced, continuing her walk over to the car. with more enthusiasm now that she'd been noticed and called over. she'd started to learn that if she spotted a fancy car, in weird little spot, away from the society club; sunday mightn't be too far away. hands landed on hood as she leaned over, trying to see what the other was seeing. " oh man, " she said as she considered, pushing herself up onto the hood beside sunday. " okay, what if– and hear me out, " she prefaced, holding a hand up for a brief moment, looking over before she continued. " one of them grabs the other, like they're gonna hit 'em, y'know? and then there's a pause, all dramatic, and then they kiss. " she finished with a grin, knowing the chances of that were probably one in a million. a punch was way more likely. " you just finish up? " she asked, giving a quick nod to the vest.
𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: the underground
𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: open to all !
aisha had been killing it, to put it lightly. they had their walkman plugged in and the sweet sound of the cure filling their ears as they made drink after drink, delivering them in a timely manner to each customer. at some point, their break had arrived, and they went to sit at the bar with a glass of coke they fixed for themself beforehand. noticing that someone chose to sit beside them, they gave a halfhearted smile. "uh, busy night, huh?" they spoke up over the music playing. "i haven't been off my feet since i got here. did you need anything, though?" even though it was their break, they would still help when they could. it made them feel even more efficient.
being a big supporter of phoenix and his band, and also a little bit of a dropkick– the underground was a frequent visit for lorelei. and being a little bit of a drop kick, she'd certainly pushed her limits that night. alcohol ... mostly. moving in the crowd was starting to make her feel sick instead of alive and so she wandered to the edge of the room. she truthfully didn't realising she was near someone until they spoke to her. " hmm? " her head turned to them, in that lazy, not sober type of way. " oh yeah, totally. " she grinned, giving a small nod of her head. if they hadn't prefaced their question with i haven't been off my feet since i got here, lorelei wouldn't have been shy to ask for something. but the preface gave her pause. " no, no, i'm good. you relax. " she insisted. though it only gave her pause for a moment, after a second she looked back to them and leaned over a little. " unless you have water, like, within reach, " she smiled a little again, all to familiar with how she looked in that moment. dumbass too far gone, trying to sober up. " you know, without getting on your feet again. "
stationed behind the soundboard, spencer had one ear covered by her headphones while she tampered with the controls displayed ahead of her. she was lucky enough to not only have possession of the music selection, but also the panel that directed the flashing lights on the floor, since their regular operator had taken the day off. caught up in the chaos where she was standing, she didn't hear anyone approach at first, but her eyes caught on a figure in her peripheral and she slid her headphones down around her neck. "i stopped taking requests for u2 about halfway through the thirtieth repeat of one." she deadpanned. "just so you know. i can do literally anything else."
the idea of hanging at slide away always sort of intimidated her a little bit. it was like she was fifteen again and just got her braces off and the cools kids invited her to sit with them in the cafeteria. like someone was about to point at her and say you don't belong! but for the most part she fit in. she couldn't skate for shit but she didn't mind the music or the smoking. " oh, no, don't worry. bono is so not ... " she finished her sentence by shaking her head, waving her hands in front of her. " the glasses thing is weird. " she reasoned, though she did still fall victim to the leather jackets rock star thing. " but, not a massive shift, still irish ... the cranberries? " she asked, and they were still rock– technically, so lorelei felt pretty good about her request. " dreams? or linger, maybe? " she suggested, a smile pulling up her lips just in case she had to make her request more tempting. " please? "
he smiles softly, taking a sip from his own drink, nearly burning his tongue in the process, but he could handle it. "yeah, me too. today is my cheat day though, so... i cheated." what an awful joke, lukas, but, it meant that he felt somewhat more comfortable than he had when first approaching her, and that was saying something. it was hard for him to feel genuinely comfortable with people, something about childhood trauma's and being bullied all his life or whatever. he knew what lori was doing, but he appreciated it anyways. "they did, they just gave me two, and i was gonna throw one away, but i thought maybe you might want it. i... i know it's probably not your first option, but it's free, right?" maybe she was more of a cold drinks type of gal.
" oh wow, cheat day, huh? " she said, repeating his words back to him. " i didn't know you were into all that stuff, " – all that stuff being code for 'health and nutrition' in this instance. and it was surprising to her. she thought most of the time people on diets never shut up about them. but then again, if she looked at him for more than two seconds ... yeah, it made sense. " well, i respect your restraint. i totally would have taken it as a sign from the universe that i was meant to have two treats. " she confessed, a playful sort of tone to her voice. he was right when he said it probably wouldn't be her first choice, but it was free. but she didn't see the point in confirming that. " don't be silly, " she replied, lifting her elbow to bump lighting into his arm. " this has totally made my day. " she said with a smile. " so besides being a totally selfless human being and enjoying your cheat day, what else you up to today? "
The way she joined in on Huck's little gag was comforting, it meant that he could lower high guard, relax even. "Gotcha," he confirmed, silently pleased with himself for navigating the uncharted apartment, as if it was a hard thing to do.
"Uh-huh," he listened to her explanation, nodding appropriately as he digested what she was saying. "It's common enough, especially in these apartment complexes- people who build 'em install shitty pipes and hardware to keep costs down so they can make bank when they sell," he offered, though she probably didn't care as much about the history of Long Beach plumbing as she did about getting it fixed. He dumped his tool bag on the ground and pinched the brim of his baseball hat between his fingers, turning it backwards on his head as if to prove that he was in action mode now.
From the ground beneath the sink, he waved a hand in Lori's direction, encouraging her to move the same way, "You might wanna take a step back, there could be some gunk left in here when I yank it out," not the most scientific explanation but a gunk warning was a gunk warning. "I was just kidding about the overtime thing," he reminded her, in case that was what had been the catalyst for her comments, "I'm just helping out, you don't owe me anything," he instructed, no cheque, no favours, no strings attached. "If anything needs replacing, you gotta foot the bill for parts but I'm not gonna charge you for the work," he continued as he unscrewed the connector pipe beneath the sink "-but let's see what's going on here before we worry about a trip to Home Depot,"
He peered into the pipe and hummed with approval, "It's not rusted out," a good sign, "-but it's kinda scummy, I think it was probably a blockage that shifted when the pressure got too hot and that's what blew your faucet," he diagnosed with confidence, "It's almost clear now, I'll clean it a little but probably just gotta use different hand soap. Might be whatever you're using is just getting all caked up in there," he left the dislodged pipe abandoned on the tiles while he stood to check the faucet now, he already had a theory in mind.
it made her feel a little better that her late night disaster was a common experience. and not just her rotten bad luck that she seemed to drag around with her like toilet paper stuck to the bottom of her shoe. " sounds about right, " she said, letting out a small exhale. " my landlord is totally the quick fix, make it someone else's problem down the line type. so that's probably not helping either. " she commented, wondering if that provided any further context for what his handyman eyes saw. the complex always seemed to be falling apart despite it being less than 10 years old. but, no one gave her shit about her dog or about where she worked or who she brought home so like– she couldn't really be that mad about it.
when instructed to take a step back, she did. looking behind her as she stepped back into the hallway, but quickly back to him and her busted sink, arms still crossed as she watched. nose crinkled a little as she anticipated the said 'gunk'. you don't owe me anything, he said. and well, that was a total lie, wasn't it. she kind of owed him everything. he got her out and then she fucked him over. " of course, yeah, " she said with a nod of her head. because yeah, she would obviously pay for any parts that needed replacing. after a beat her mouth parted to say something else but she swallowed it. thinking on it a second longer. " i just meant, like, you don't have to do that. help me out, y'know, just because. " she finished her sentence there. there were a million things that could have come after those words. but it was better there, just because. he would sure know what she was trying to say.
" right, okay, " she nodded her head again. soap probably caused a blockage and blew up her faucet. it sounded more ridiculous in her head than it had when he said it. " i'll tell my roommate. " she said. balancing somewhere between i'm grateful for your advice and i don't want to have to call you over again. she stood quietly for another moment, before she found something to say– and an excuse to move away from watching him. " can i get you anything? tea, water? i think i've got some dr pepper, " she offered, with a jerk of her thumb over her shoulder back towards the kitchen.
"yeah, uh... my dad plays guitar, and my mom and sister play piano. my little brother, though? completely tone deaf, bless his heart." mick had never seemed to be too bothered by that, though. besides - the dude was easily the smartest guy in the family, he had his own thing going for him. "the second one, fortunately. he's not gonna wreak havoc, other than like, maybe wandering around and showing off my baby pictures to anyone that cares to give him attention." though his eyes rolled at the thought, the smile on his lips only grew at the idea. "lucky for me, i was an adorable baby. hard to feel embarrassed when you've always been cute, ya know?"
" aw, that's cute though, " lorelei replied, soft cooing tone to her voice. she liked that image, most the family involved in music somehow. " did you guys ever piss off your neighbours? " she asked, becoming more comfortable with the subject matter. though perhaps thats because she was asking the questions, and phoenix's family sounded like something out of a tv show. it was easy to find her comfort there. she laughed again, " uhuh, you say that but i'm gonna ask for the middle school picture day photos. " she joked, looking over at him with relaxed sort of smile. one that morphed into mischievous sort of grin. " and you know, once those are broken out there's no putting them back in. "
"never doubted it for a second, babe." sure, maybe their current topic of conversation wasn't exactly the deepest, but that didn't make lori any less perceptive. "huh. who woulda thought those two would have the greatest love story ever told? move over romeo and juliet." unconventional, maybe, but those were always the best ones anyway. and platonic love, at least in her experience, was more often than not the better option. stupid, sappy shit could only last so long before it inevitably crashed and burned. "definitely less tragic than chuckie's dad's situation."
lorelei pressed her lips together in another attempt to hide a smile. another attempt that probably failed. so she paired it with a half shrug, so maybe she'd seem more nonchalant than flustered. " oh yeah, who cares about dramatic, horned up teenagers, anyway, " not that she'd ever read romeo and juliet but she understood the gist of it. " that's a tale old as time. " she said, allowing her grin to show. however, at next rugrats plot point to be brought up she groaned and rolled away from them for a moment, " mmm no, don't, " she complained, rolling back, her head resting against her own mattress as she looked over with pout. " i'll totally cry if we talk about that, i'm so serious, " she threatened, but by the end of her words there was a smile threatening to show once again. it was true, thought. she would probably cry. just like she'd probably cry if preemie tommy was brought up. and she wouldn't really be able to reason either one besides her water moon sign. " rugrats is so heavy sometimes for a kids show. there's no way that's good for, like, actual kids. "
Huck responded to the open door with raised eyebrows and a shake of his head as a laugh left his lips, "Thanks- you were gonna have to let me in at some point - haven't mastered plumbing by Jedi mind tricks yet," he explained, though the joke hadn't been to make fun of her, more so to ease the tension. Whether it had worked or not, he wasn't sure.
"Whoa," his voice lifted in volume and pitch as he acknowledged the oversized pooch, caught off guard by her energetic presence. It wasn't by any means unwelcome however and as he stepped into Lori's apartment, he simultaneously dropped his tool bag onto the ground and dipped to one knee to greet her fuzzy roommate with the attention and affection she was obviously demanding. "Hey buddy, you don't bite huh? That works for me," he stole a glance at Lori then, "Still working on training her to bite me in the butt on sight?" he questioned playfully, though he liked to think things between them weren't quite that toxic.
He stood to full height once more, pulling his tool bag back onto his shoulder as he did so. "It's cool," he assured her casually, though pausing a bootleg tape of the X-Files to fix a sink when he probably should have been sleeping wasn't high on Huck's list of fun ways to spend the evening. "I'll just send my invoice over in the morning - still gotta calculate the call-out fee and the out-of-hours extra and you know, supplies and everything," he explained, comfortably walking past her as if he knew exactly where he was going in a completely foreign apartment. The sort of confidence without a clue had gotten him in trouble before but he was yet to learn his lesson. He turned back to Lori after a beat or two, "Kidding," he assured, "Bathroom's this way?" he was just guessing but he'd been in enough strange houses, apartments and hotels to have a sixth sense for floorplans.
her grip on the collar adjusted a little as huck dipped to greet angel. loosened a little, to let the two interact, but didn't let go completely so she didn't take the opportunity to trample him. his joke surprised her a little. seemed she'd really left a sparkling impression on his mind. though it wasn't like she had much room to be mad at him for that. " uhuh, " she joked back, albeit a little uncomfortably. " we've got the basics down, like sit– " cue angel's butt slightly lowering to the ground for a second but quickly she was up again try to get closer to the pats. " fetch, bed– but everything else remains a work in progress. " she informed in jest, pairing it with a smile so the joke was clear.
when he stood, and angel seemed to be mostly satisfied with that, she reached for the door. closing it behind them before she let go of angel's collar. running hand down her fur to keep her attention as she told her, " on your bed, go on, " pointing to flattened beanbag beside the couch. and with tail wagging angel obeyed ... mostly. opting for the couch instead of the bean bag. and looking back at them expectant of more pats or at least attention, but she would have to wait. because now huck was talking about call out fees and out of hours extras. and lori tried to hide to worry (and surprise), pressing lips together as she nodded her head. an act that wasn't convincing so at least he was looking the other way. until he wasn't. he was looking back at her with that stupid look on his face and told her he was kidding. she couldn't help the laugh that was half sigh of relief that fell out of her mouth. her features relaxing quickly, and she nodded again. " yeah, first door, " she said, pointing down hallway and moving past him so she could show him.
" i don't know what happened. it sort of just, exploded, i guess. " she started to explain, pushing bathroom door open and revealing her best attempt to soak up some of the water with all the towels she could find. " i turned it on and nothing happened for a second and then the faucet just like flew off. " she gestured with her hand the flying off motion. the faucet was now sitting in the basin, because she'd had no idea what else to do with it. " water everywhere, etcetera– i turned it off under the sink to, y'know, not drown in my own apartment. " she could do one thing right at least. she crossed her arms over her torso. part for something to do with her hands so she didn't keep gesturing with every sentence, and part defensive sort of move. " and i can pay you, you know. " she tacked on after a beat of thought. worried the image in his mind of her would only stew further if she let that be. " i didn't, like– i don't expect a freebie, or whatever. "
maybe it was because she knew he was a good person, maybe it was because she felt like shit and his smile was a great pick-me-up, maybe it was because she didn't see that girl around him so much anymore, maybe it was because she was a fucking idiot – but when her bathroom sink had seemingly exploded at 11:34pm, she'd only known one person that could help her. her stupid fucking darling ex boyfriend. when she heard the knock at the door she stood from couch quickly, then made herself wait for a second. but only a second because she did need her sink fixed before it flooded her entire place. she pulled open door and was immediately hit with a ghostly sort of feeling. like when she went to gracie mae's aunt's funeral when she was 10 and her mom made her go and pay respects to the body. except worse because this ghost was definitely going to talk to her. " hey, um, come in, " she stepped back, pulling door with her. and as she did angel hurried on over from her spot lazing on the couch to greet the visitor. she caught her by her collar before she could jump– on huck or out the door. the grip was obeyed, though still pulled against in excitement. " sorry, she's fine, she won't bite or anything, she's just– like, extremely overly friendly. " she likes new people, she almost says. " sorry, come in. and uh– " god, she felt so fucking awkward already and now she was holding back a 38 pound ball of excitement. just fucking kill her already. " thank you, again, for coming over. i didn't know who else to call. " aka all the plumbers in the phone book had asterisks and mentions of outside-of-hours fees and she panicked.
"sup." he greeted in response, nodding his head at her and giving her a soft smile. of course nick remembered her, how could he not? it was hard to forget someone you took care of one night when they were really out of it, but nick is the last person to judge. as if he hasn't been in life altering situations before, way worse than the one's lorelei's been in. "thanks," he's about to take the lighter, when she pulls back, causing the pink haired male to raise an eyebrow. at her question, he scratches the back of his head. "i mean, yes... and no." he informs her, shrugging casually. "i'm on my lunch break, so technically, not at work, but if you're worried about me being stoned and working, don't sweat it. i smoke with the owner too. he's real cool." it wasn't a lie, they had blazed a joint one too many times together. "i'll share with you. come on, are you about to deny me a lighter? that hurts my feelings, not gonna lie." he's teasing, but he's also kind of not.
and then it was her turn to raise her eyebrow. only slightly. not judgemental (at least not intentionally, because she was well aware of her lack of position to judge him), just confused what the answer was. whether he was working or not felt pretty yes or no. " oh? that's cool of him, " she sometimes had a drink or two on shift at the lair but, like, that wasn't permanently altering people's bodies. but, that wasn't really her business. and out of reasons to actually deny him, and giving it over felt like a way of proving she was totally cool and not a headcase like she'd previously acted in front of him: she held the lighter out. " no, i wasn't– even before you brought your feelings into it. " she replied, a playfulness to her tone. " i just didn't want you getting in shit 'cause of me. " she reasoned. mostly bullshit, but it was plausible. lori tended to get people into shit, intentional or otherwise. " but i will totally take you up on the sharing offer. only fair, right? "
lukas smiles in return, always shy around anyone, but, lori gave him the tiniest bit of reassurance that it was okay, that even though he was an awkward mess, it was tolerable. "yeah, i'm pretty sure. i'm not going to finish both of them, the cups are huge! i promise." he was the same way, needing to double check like that, to make sure he wasn't intruding for whatever reason, so he didn't exactly blame her for wanting to make sure that he was positive, but it wasn't necessary. he was sure he wanted her to have it. "it has marshmallows. can anyone say no to that? especially when they're all tiny, it's cute." he informs her, letting out a light hearted chuckle, not as awkwardly as he anticipated, and that's saying something because he's pretty damn awkward.
" well, certainly not me, that's for sure, " lorelei replied with a smile, reaching out to accept cup and actually take it this time. " thank you, " she added on gratefully, before she lifted cup to her lips. taking a small sip and following with a soft, but enthusiastic, mmmm. " that's so good, i haven't had a hot chocolate in, like– god, i don't know, forever. " she said. she wasn't much of a hot drinks person. coffee gave her a stomach ache, and tea she only had sometimes. when she had a headache or a sore throat or, god forbid, missed home. " how'd you say you got two? they just made it by accident? " she asked, intrigued– but mostly just using excuse to continue conversation with someone she'd come to know as often too shy to engage.
“ah! please, please, please! i need a favor.” the blonde femme said frantically, grabbing her companion’s hand and looking up at them with wide, blue and TERRIFIED eyes. “my ex is here with his new fucking girlfriend, the same one he cheated on me with. ANYWAYS. i need you to pretend we’re dating for like five minutes…please?” romy begged, desperation oozing of her, “i’ll buy your drinks for the rest of the night.”
the sudden movement, and sound, and grabbing of her hand, made lorelei jump a little bit but quickly eyes landed on the blonde as the story and situation were laid out in front of her. her beer gripped tight in her free hand. " i-uh, okay– yeah, sure, " she agreed impulsively, nodding her head. she probably would have agreed regardless, given her own silent guilty conscious of being a cheater herself. but the being put on the spot certainly pushed the agreement out of her quickly. and the promise of free drinks for the rest of the night didn't go amiss either. " what do you want me to do? like, laugh like you said something really funny, or something? " that's what she'd do if romy was a guy, she didn't really know if it was any different because she was a girl.
"well..." he trails off, fighting back a smile that wanted to make it's way onto his lips, "i think if you have to ask what fun is, then you definitely need more fun in your life. this is why you should join me, on my quest for world domination!" he said the last five words in a deeper voice, trying, but failing, to imitate darth vader. mael chuckles right after, happy that she decided to give in. "i'm offended you would even use such a sentence. it's never a bad time to go to the beach! the beach is.... well, the beach!" you would never make him see otherwise, even though he's just teasing her in return. "i'm just trying to get a good tan in, you know?" lies, he was always there. "besides, maybe we can see some memorable people. that guy who wears that golden thong with the beer belly and santa clause beard is usually there at this time and he's constantly dancing to cyndi lauper and yodeling. he makes me laugh so much." it was comical to see him, really. "maybe we can see some cute guys too, or you know," he shrugs, "some girls. whatever floats your boat. are you ready to have fun, or are you ready to have fuuuuuuuun?!" he draws out the last word and dances.
she failed to continue containing her smile when the darth vader impression came forth, earning not just a smile but a laugh too. " o-kay, you're a dork and i have plenty of fun, okay? thank you. " she said pointedly, her posture straightening a little. the beach is ... well, the beach! she gave a soft snort, head turning as she tried to contain it. " wow, were you on the debate team with that argument structure? " she teased sarcastically as she looked back to him, smile spread widely on her face. though smile was replaced by crinkled nose at just the image in her mind of long beach icon. " if i have to hear him sing i drove all night again i'm drowning myself. just f-y-i. and that'll be on your hands. " she continued the jokes, holding her hands up to prove her innocence. she quirked a brow when he tacked on the some girls. whatever floats your boat. real subtle, mael. " you know i think there's a word for that– guys and girls. " she teased, pretending to think by tapping her index finger to her chin in a dramatic manner. " people. cute people. " she grinned, knowing it was a sort of stupid joke to make. but while she didn't know what the fuck to label herself, it was the best she could to acknowledge it. " yesss, " she matched him, dragging her own word out as she poked him in the arm. a silly little smile pulling up her features once more. " let's go, what drinks have you got? "
the sudden shift in lorelei's demeanor didn't go completely unnoticed by phoenix, but he chose not to comment, figuring that the canned food aisle wasn't exactly the right place for a heart-to-heart. "they can be kinda dorky, but for the most part, i think they're pretty great. i know not everyone gets so lucky as to have parents that are actually supportive of their kid wanting to be a pro-drummer, ya feel?" another can of pasta was dropped into the cart before he continued down the aisle, tossing a small shrug in lori's direction. "honestly, worst case scenario, you'll just have to deal with my dad getting lost on the way back from the bathroom. i keep telling my mom she's gotta get some kind of tracker on the dude."
kinda dorky. that made lori smile a little, scuffing her feet on linoleum floor lightly as she shuffled forward. " yeah, totally, " she didn't think she knew any parents that would let their kids play drums, much less encourage them. she didn't want to say phoenix was lucky, because that felt shitty, but he was and she wondered if he knew it. " do they play anything? y'know, guitar, piano, lil family band or whatever? " she asked, she could picture that. her dad played piano, and she'd tried a little but she could never get the posture down. she gave a soft laugh at the image he described, tracker included. " okay, is it like a oh my god he's missing i gotta find him emergency sitch or a let him wander around and explore for ten minutes and then go fetch him one? "
"that's the one." tossing a handful of popcorn into her mouth - and then nearly choking on it from the laughter that erupted upon seeing lori's howard deville impression, xio took a long few seconds to try and determine the true story behind the couple. "that makes... so much sense." holding the bowl out, she offered some of the snack to lori, simultaneously wiping crumbs from her shirt. "what about the kids, though? just another part of the cover-up?"
smile spread easily on her features as she earned laugh from the other. joining in with a laugh of her own, a soft, almost dopey sort of giggle " i'm a genius, you can say it. " lori mused happily as she reached for a handful of popcorn. she thought about it for a moment. you had to be pretty dedicated to a cover up to have twins, she thought. though, she supposed it's not like anyone planned for twins. " maybe, " she started, still in thought as she popped one of the kernels in her mouth. " or maybe they thought they could make it work. try to love each other, you know? and only came to the agreement later on. for the kids. " she placed a hand on her chest as she said 'the kids', as if it was especially heart warming. she didn't really know why she pitched that thought, but she looked to the other for their approval anyway. " kinda sweet, right? " or delusional, though that was lori's favoured state of mind. " in a fucked up kinda way. " she tacked on with a smile.
