Afterparty

[withamagicword]

It is late, or early, and masks have been shed and people have left, mostly, and Billy, still clad all in black, is searching for Melpomene. He has had a few drinks and is looking for her as he hasnt seen her in a few hours.

He smiles as he wanders the mess that has been left behind and is glad they had paid a substantial extra to have others come in and clean. This would be a real job.

Comments

[tragic_mask]

Melpomene stands by the deserted bar with one hand on her hip and a cigarette pinched between her fingers. Her head is tilted up slightly, dark curls threatening to tumble at any moment from the gold clip in her hair.

She watches through half-closed eyes as the last stragglers slip through the door back to Milliways.

[withamagicword]

He grins as he wanders over.

"Hello, beautiful maiden of the night."

He is bouncy even yet.

[tragic_mask]

Mel lowers her cigarette and exhales a gentle puff of smoke.

She leans forward, looks solemn. "Greetings, brave knight. Saved any damsels in distress recently?"

[ooc: ack! so sorry. wrongly anticipated how long it would be before I got back on. :\]

[withamagicword]

(ooc: is okay!)

He bows to her.

"Nay, fair lady. The night did go quietly, in most ways. And there was much drinking and rejoicing..."

[tragic_mask]

"Do you mean to say that there were no exciting anecdotes for you to share with me?" She looks around at the ballroom-- remnants of a roaring party remain, but the music is gone and all she can hear is the echo of their two voices.

"I wanted to live vicariously through you," she pouts, exaggeratedly.

[withamagicword]

He shook his head.

"I am afraid I am too drunk to live vicariously through."

He holds up a hand and a bottle shimmers into view, as well as two glasses.

"Magic can be useful."

[tragic_mask]

"You could have fooled me." Her eyes flit to the sudden glasses.

"I can do magic, too" she says. "Head magic. Nothing so impressive as yours."

Beat. Then, abruptly: "Let's sit down. I need to take these off." She lifts a skirt, turning her leg slightly so he can see her elegant silver heels.

[withamagicword]

He nods and waves a hand to a nearby room, comewhat out of the way, with a huge couch in it. He extends his arm to her.

[tragic_mask]

She take it gratefully, but pretends to be balancing perfectly well by herself.

"I really appreciate your help tonight, Billy. You're one of the most reliable people in this place." She takes a small step towards the open doorway. And another.

[withamagicword]

He shakes his head and walks with her.

"I dont agree, but thank you. I was glad to help and glad to do this... just seeing you smile was payment beyond any coin."

[tragic_mask]

"So sweet, too." Melpomene turns towards him and smiles blithely.

She eases herself onto the couch, fluffing her skirts around her. "Much better. I was about to collapse."

[withamagicword]

He smiles at her and waves at the shoes, the puts down the bottle and glasses and ewaves again.

"Need any help with those?"

[tragic_mask]

Mel fumbles perfunctorily with the various straps for a moment. Nothing much happens.

"Yes, please," she says, and slumps. She pulls her dress up to the knee and extends a heeled foot. The straps criss-cross in a generally complicated way up past her ankle.

[withamagicword]

he settles to the floor with great care, then reaches out and finds the releases, slowly unbidning the shoes from her feet and ankles. He slips the first one off and glances up, then blushes and glances back down again.

He slowly slips the second one off, befoe sitting back again.

"Those are.... evil shoes."

He nods seriously.

[tragic_mask]

As he finishes, Melpomene turns her head and lets her eyes settle on his.

"Thank you. Yes, they are. Can you believe I didn't fall down while we were dancing?" She laughs, kicking her pantyhosed feet off the side of the sofa.

[withamagicword]

His blush is still bright in his face as he nods to her.

"I can. You are graceful and you have nice legs."

He grins.

"Did you enjoy it all?"

he pours wine into the two glasses and holds one up for her even as he sips his own.

[tragic_mask]

"Oh. Every moment. The entire thing came off wonderfully." She takes the glass from him gingerly.

"A toast," She says, raising her glass. "To us, and to our success. We make a good team."

[withamagicword]

"Good!"

He lifts the glass and touches it to hers.

"To us, and to you, with whom I would partner, in any endeavour."

He holds her eyes for a moment before drinking.

[tragic_mask]

"I'll hold you to that someday," she laughs, and drinks.

There's a silence, filled with an appreciation for good wine.

[withamagicword]

It doesnt take him long to finish one and start another glass. He is very drunk. Yep.

"It was fun, greeting everyone and dancing with a few."

[tragic_mask]

And Melpomene may have had a little too much to drink herself. This muse could never hold her alcohol.

... so it's awkwardly that she fumbles with her opera gloves and, at last, defeats them and slips them both neatly into her purse.

"I'm glad," she says, reaching forward to smooth his lapel with a bare hand.

[withamagicword]

He glances down and then takes her hand in his and kisses it. It is a soft kiss. He grins.

"You have beautiful hands.

[tragic_mask]

"Don't I just?" she says, batting her eyelashes teasingly.

Her hand stays in his, like she's forgotten, and with the other she brings the half-emptied wine glass to her lips.

[withamagicword]

He ponders her like that for a minute, then settles better, still holding her hand.

"How are your feet holding up?"

His brain is mostly fuzzed. how he is having a conversation is beyind the narration, but ah youth!

[tragic_mask]

Youth, indeed.

"Much better than a moment ago. Thank you," she says, in the very carefully grave tone of the drunk.

She crosses her legs at the knee, but proceeds to promptly ruin the lady-like effect by pulling at her rumpled dress and muttering.

"Wish I'd brought a change of clothes. I love dressing up but all the fabric is so... cumbersome."

[withamagicword]

he considers.

"What would you rather wear?"

He eyes it and then his own clothes and presses his hands over his suit, mutterring the thankfully short spell.

His suit vanishes and then is replaced by a tight t-shirt and shorts. He nods.

[tragic_mask]

"Something I can move in," she says, all legs.

"Something nice."

... well, that certainly clarifies things.

[withamagicword]

He eyes her and then nods. it might be noted that it is the mind of a drunk male teenager that she is putting this decision into.

This might explain why, when he mutters the spell again and waves his hands at her, her dress becomes a very short black skirt, and white blouse and a pair of flats on the floor near her feet... and nothing else.

[tragic_mask]

Oh, dear. There is, definitely, much more leg showing than there was before.

Melpomene looks down, and the room fills with a tentative silence.

... then she throws back her head and laughs- the gold clip comes loose and her dark hair comes tumbling out at last. She stands, quickly, and pulls him up by the hand.

"I like your magic, Billy Batson."

[withamagicword]

More leg and more everything else, too...

He stills then grins as she pulls him up.

"Thank you, my dear lady."

He bows to her and yet does not let go of her hand.

"You look amazing."

[tragic_mask]

"But don't I always?" She sets her glass on the end table and steps lightly towards him, and back.

Lord, let's hope she doesn't remember any of this in the morning.

[withamagicword]

He blinks at her, then nods, dimly. Then he does what he wanted to do, but didnt dare, he kisses her. Not a chaste kiss, not a gentle kiss, but a real honest kiss.

He finally breaks for air a minute or ten later, and just looks at her.

Tomorrow? Memory? Yeah, not likely.

[tragic_mask]

She's not really suprised, honestly - the entire evening was leading up to something like this.

Still, when he breaks, her eyes are round. One hand comes slowly up to her gaping mouth, and covers it.

"You must do this a lot," she says, voice muffled.

[withamagicword]

He stares at her, then staggers back.

"What?"

To say he is shocked is an understatement. More like stung to the core.

[tragic_mask]

Her balance isn't perfect tonight, and because her hands have ended, somehow, wrapped around his neck, she bumps against him. Looks up.

"You just seem to know what you're doing," she says, oblivious.

[withamagicword]

"I... have had very little experience, actually. Three failed romances, all dust."

He looks away, then looks back at her, and smiles anyway.

"But I am glad I don't do it badly."

Some part of his mind might be thinking this is a bad idea, but he is drunk and he has had a crush on her for ages, and she feels very good right now.

So, he kisses her again, a little harder, his hands somehow ending up behind her, pulling her closer.

[tragic_mask]

Somehow, the tragedy makes the moment beautiful. Melpomene aches, beneath the layers of red wine, and something's fighting for attention.

Could be that little voice going he's cute and innocent and you're immortal, jaded, and way too old for him, and why are you letting him get away with it? you're the goddess. you're the mature one here, yet somehow you're in a mini-skirt in a deserted ballroom with a teenage boy. how exactly is this? what the FUCK?, jumbling her thoughts and causing her to hesitate and drop her hands.

Still, a moment later her tongue is pressed lightly against his, and her hands are on his chest. The fucking voice isn't going away- she kisses hard, against its murmur.

[withamagicword]

His own mind has a little voice like that telling him this isnt smart,m isnt wise, that he knows better and will regret it, but the rest of him has had enough of tragedy and wants this. And he is VERY drunk.

Enough so that he kisses her and his hands gently slide along her back, in something like a carress, and his body sings with a kind of need he hasnt felt in awhile. A need she may be able to feel pressed against her as he holds her close.

That voice is loud, but the blood rusing in him now? Is louder. For now.

[tragic_mask]

Her body arches against his warm hands, responding automatically to his touch before she can stop it.

But she stumbles back, teeth clenched and body trembling with the unfulfilled need. Been too long... "Billy. Please, stop before you do something you regret."

It's cliche, but it's the first sensible thing she's said in a while. She runs her tongue along her lips-- they're suddenly very dry.

[withamagicword]

He shudders when she mocves back, almost falling. He stares at her, and all he hears is yet another rejection, yet another person he isnt good enough for.

He looks at her for a long moment, his face going pale and then something like hurt and pain flashing across it. Then he turns, mutters one word, and a gateway opens. All his desire vanishes as that well of despair opens up and he steps through, looking back only once, and then is gone.

[tragic_mask]

Melpomene stands, still drunk, still needy. Alone, now.

She collapses onto the sofa, skirt crumpled up to her waist, and stares at the ceiling.

"That's my reward for being good, is it?" she mumbles. A sob tries to escape her lips and is choked off.

A long, lonely silence- and she doesn't move.

"Things never turn out the way you expect them to be," she says to herself, and picks up the half-empty glass still on the table beside her.

[withamagicword]

(ooc: thank you for the admittedly very surprising thread! Sorry it got odd at the end. Billy kind of lost it there. *sends you big hugs and Melpomene big hugs too*)

[tragic_mask]

[ooc: laughing when I shouldn't be. maybe I'm tired. drunk people are strange, and drunk gods are stranger. ... you know, they need to thread when they're sober.]

[withamagicword]

(ooc: Absolutely! For great lack of memeory but sort of feeling oddness. Wheeee! I can put him in tonight(monday night) if ya like.)

[tragic_mask]

[ooc: exactly. that would, in Millitime, give the awkwardness a few days to fester. lovely. I'm evil, and so are you. D:
okay, I really should think about bed-- my eyes are tearing and I have a roaring headache. but thanks for the thread; it was certainly... different. hugs and kisses and other sweet things. until later.]