Hi Cor! May I suggest 13 “too loud” of course with Lup and Barry?
Lup slid through the crowd like a fish, darting between people the moment a space opened. Once she was clear of the dance floor, she looked around. Sweat and glitter clung to her skin. Pushing the hair up off the back of her neck, she looked around for the others. Taako was behind her, deep in the crowd and showing off how they used to shake it on Two Sun.
She could hear Magnus’s laugh even over the music and noise and wound her way through the crowd milling around the dance floor like old ladies trying to find the courage to peel off their swim suit cover ups and dive into the water. Go on and dance, she wanted to tell them, wanted to explain that they should celebrate and enjoy this beautiful night. But she knew something about holding back, taking the time to test the water before you jumped in.
Magnus and Davenport were tucked in a booth in the back. With Merle training this year, they’d all gone their separate ways mostly. But tonight the six of them were together.
Approaching the table, Lup peered around. Well, there were supposed to be six of them, anyway. Just as she opened her mouth to ask where the others were, Lucretia stepped around her with drinks in her hand. She passed a hard cider to Magnus and a wineglass to Davenport. “Hey, Lup,” she said before taking a sip from her own glass - something dark, swirling with cream and ice. “Want me to grab you a drink?”
Lup smiled and shook her head. “Nah, thanks though.” She glanced around the crowd again. “Where’s Bluejeans?”
“Headed back to the apartment,” Davenport answered as Lucretia slid into the booth.
Lup frowned theatrically. “Aww! Why?”
“Can you believe he said it was too loud?!” Magnus shouted from three feet away, making her bite back a laugh.
“Maybe I should go check on him,” Lup said, not making it a question. “Tell Taako that’s where I went if Lord Rumpshaker manages to pry himself off the dance floor.”
The captain nodded and tilted his glass to her.
Barry pulled his robe tighter around himself. Tessaralia had turned chilly in the last few weeks after a long, mild autumn. Now, hours and hours past sunset, the street felt cold and miserable.
Or maybe it was just him.
The night had started off well enough. The six of them had gotten together for dinner for the first time in a month. This cycle everyone had been going in different directions, taking the rare opportunity to pursue their own interests wholeheartedly.
Which was great. Except that Barry had gotten his fill of study time alone back on Two Sun. Since the Starblaster, he’d gotten used to working with others constantly.
But Lup and Taako were gone most of the time. Most nights, they didn’t even stay in the enormous apartment the six of them had gotten at the beginning of the year. They’d been going further and further from the main city, exploring restaurants and food markets, diving into the different flavors and spices this world had to offer.
So Barry had been thrilled to see her - everyone, really! - for a whole evening. He’d spent dinner hanging on her - everyone’s! - every word as they described what they’d been up to. But then they’d ended up at that club and the twins had gotten up to dance and…
Rain started falling, the cold drizzle finding its way right down the back of his IPRE robe before he could scramble the hood up over his head.
He just wanted to get back to the apartment and go to bed. His head was pounding and now he was cold and wet.
In the darkness between streetlights, he stepped into a puddle he hadn’t seen on the cobble street. Almost instantly he could feel the cold water seeping through his sock.
Great, he thought, perfect way to learn these new boots aren’t waterproof.
Honestly, it was better than finding out in the middle of a blizzard on a trek after the light, but Barry wasn’t in the mood to see that upside.
And, if honesty was to be pursued, it wasn’t the lack of streetlight proximity that made him fail to spot the puddle before he’d stepped in it. It was the recurring image of Lup on the dance floor, happy and laughing in a spray of glitter from the ceiling, moving in sync with a tall, handsome elf who’d had his eyes pinned on her since she’d started dancing.
He was so glad she was having fun. She deserved it! And he would have been happy to sit there and watch her be happy but then the thumping speakers started making his head hurt and the constant din from the crowd wore on his nerves and eventually he just couldn’t hang out in the club any longer.
Lup snagged her cloak from the coat check and dashed out into the street. It had begun raining but it felt good on her overheated skin. Maybe it would wash some of the glitter off before she pulled on her cloak, she figured. Though, either way, the thing had seen worse than a little bit of glitter.
There weren’t many people on the street and Lup’s sprint caught her up to the only person on the street in a red robe, even with his sizeable head start.
Ahead of her, the red robed figure froze and turned, surprise clear on his face even with the distance between them. Speeding up, she closed the distance between them.
“Calling it a night so soon, Bluejeans?”
“Yeah,” he answered, shoving his hands into his pockets. “It was too loud in there.” He shrugged, as if it was of no consequence. “But you should go back! It looked like you were having fun! At least get back in out of the rain, Lup.”
“Pssh,” she replied. She grinned up at the rain, letting it fall on her face and soak into her hair. “It was too hot in there. It’s nice out here.” Tilting her head back to look at him, she threw her robe around her shoulders. “I’ll walk with you.”
Barry couldn’t stop himself. He reached over and straightened her robe then pulled the hood up over her head. She watched him without comment then caught his hand as he pulled away, tucking her arm through his.
“Let’s go home and make waffles,” she suggested. “Surprise the others when they get back.”
Barry’s headache seemed to have faded so he nodded, “Sure, Lup, sounds good.”
(Thanks, Charm!! This one went a little long but ehhhh... that’s how I generally roll, isn’t it?)
