#p:lil

[gossipsnake]

PARTIES: @the-lil-exorcist and @gossipsnake TIME: Current WHERE: A bar Downtown SUMMARY:  Sometimes two lesbians just deserve a fun night out. WARNINGS: None!

Lil was quite done with the town, her entire body seemingly tired and fed up with the utter chaos that seemed to follow her around. She couldn’t even say that most of it was caused by her, something that was even more annoying to her. She liked helping people, even when it came at the expense of her own safety, but it felt like she was taking karmic hits for things she didn’t do. She couldn’t even run from it either, stuck in the town for better and probably worse. 

So she did the only thing she really knew how to do when she couldn’t run from her problems, she decided she was going to go sit in a bar and sip on whatever and pretend they weren’t there for a few hours. While it probably wasn’t a high list on what a therapist would recommend, Lil was having fun laughing with some of the regulars in the bar, and overall forgetting the weight and pain for a moment. 

After a bit she sensed a shift next to her at the bar and without thinking about it she turned to greet the new person who was sitting down much more open then she usually was. After all, right now she wasn’t the Reaper, she was a late twenty something year old in a bar. 

“Come here often?” Lil said with a smile giving away a laugh behind her eyes knowing that it was rather lame but feeling bold enough to do so anyway. “That was incredibly stupid, let me get you a drink to make up for that. - Hey you look familiar, do I know you?” Lil registering that the other’s face looked familiar, but not quite placing where or when. Honestly she was just hoping it wasn’t a friend of an ex or something like that. She really didn’t need it. 

_

Even though she had only been in town for a few years, Anita had already established herself as a regular at nearly every bar in town. They all seemed to offer something unique so where she ended up spending her nights depended on what she was looking for. Some places were good for a true escape - cheap drinks and bartenders who didn't cut people off until last call. Other places were good hunting grounds, either for a meal or for some fun. 

That night in particular, however, Anita was just in the mood for a lively crowd. Despite having been mostly on her own since she left home for college, she was really feeling the absence of her former housemate in the past weeks. 

The bar was busy when she arrived,  but there were a few scattered empty stools to choose from. One was off to the corner next to a couple that looked like they were on a first date and the other was next to a beautiful woman. It wasn't a difficult choice on which spot to take. What she hadn't been expecting, however, was that the woman was going to initiate a conversation with her before she even had the chance to order a drink. Anita smirked, maybe this was going to be a fun night after all. 

”Not stupid at all, but I'd never say no to a free drink from a beautiful woman.“ Anita met a lot of people but was usually pretty good at remembering faces. It took her a second to place it but she got there eventually. ”Bakery girl, yeah? Lilian?“ Damn. Her online profile hardly did her justice. 

_

Lil was more relaxed then she had been after coming back home. It was easy to let things go at the moment, although she knew that they kept looming over her shoulders ready to snatch whatever type of peace she made for herself. 

Still, at the end of the day she was alive and that made her want to shed the bits of her life that made her feel like she was just haunting the living, and the fact the other smiled at her made that a little easier to do. That and the whiskeys and cokes she’d managed to down so far. 

“Glad to know that’s not just me,” Lil said with a chuckle waiting for the Bartender to notice her so she could get the other a drink. At the connection Lil nodded and continued, “ Yes but I go by Lil. Lilian kinda sounds like a grandma's name right? Oh! Are you the professor? The one that was looking for the beatles? Anita? Or I’m sorry should I call you Doc?” She giggled a little at the notion.  

It had taken her a moment, but she couldn’t forget a pretty face either and she had found the Professor pretty. Lil had been somewhat shy though worried that she would put her foot in her mouth. Mostly, she didn’t think she was particularly smart enough to keep the other’s attention for long. Still, it was nice to match a person online to what they looked like in person. “I hope you found them.” 

_

There was something about the environment of a dimly lit bar that felt intoxicating even before any liquor passed her lips. It was as if simply showing up to the place unlocked a cage, releasing people that were usually restrained by thoughts of what one should do and not of what one wanted to do. It was an environment that encouraged release. Anita lived the entirety of her live in that state which was maybe why she liked being in places that brought others to her level. 

When the bartender approached Anita made eye contact and there was a nod of recognition. “Hola papi,” she hummed, her already present accent amplified by switching to her native Spanish for those few words. “Dragones Resposado,” she held two fingers up and tilted her head towards Lil. “Put some tonic and a splash of lime juice in it for us, yeah?” 

“It may be an older name… but nothing about you seems like a grandmother. I’m glad you remembered me as being a professor, most people go with ‘weird bug lady’.” In a way, she preferred the latter. She liked her eccentricities. The Doc comment made her laugh and she shook her head, “if you think Lilian sounds like a grandmother then Doc surely makes me sound like a graying old man! If that’s what you’re into you can call me Doc… otherwise Anita is perfect.” 

“I found most of them, a few managed to slip away. Hopefully off into the woods surrounded by nature and not on the bottom of someone's shoe.” It didn’t take too long for their drinks to arrive and Anita cupped one of the cool glasses in her right hand while she slid the other drink across the bar towards Lil, “If you don’t think this is better than what you’ve been drinking, I’ll buy drinks the rest of the night.” 

_

Lil realized that Anita probably came here often, which she also noted in her head, still sipping on her own drink when she realized the other was ordering for the both of them. She hadn’t expected it, but she was perfectly happy by it anyway finishing the drink she had in her hand. After all, if she couldn’t run away from this town again she could at least have a few moments with someone else that made her feel like she had. 

At the mention that she didn’t look like a grandmother  Lil laughed and said, “I mean I knit but that’s probably the only thing. Although hey, anyone can rock this aesthetic if they wanted to.” She had, rather young, decided to dress punk-ish  at first to annoy her father but more so when she realized it suited her. While she’d taken out some of her piercings over the years, mostly she just grew more into it. At the comment of people calling her weird Lil raised her eyebrow a little shocked, “Yeah no you seem really cool. I wouldn’t think of calling you weird. People really have too much time on their hands.” 

At the comment Lil chuckled, raising her hands a little and going, “No no - can’t say I am and I don’t think that matches you at all now that you’ve put that image in my head. Anita it is then. It’s a pretty name and I think it suits you.” At the fate of the beetles Lil sighed and nodded, “Hopefully so. I wouldn’t want to think that they met that fate.” 

As the other slid the drink towards her Lil caught it and laughed, “ You know, it probably will be but sure I’ll take the bet anyway. Cheers.”  Lil raised her glass to clink with the other, hoping it wasn’t too cheesy. 

_

“Cool and weird aren’t mutually exclusive,” Anita chimed back with a grin. “But I’ll take the compliment anyway.” Maybe it was because for so much of her life, in nearly every aspect of her life, she felt like the odd man out that Anita had grown to view being weird or different as a positive thing. It set her apart from the ordinary. “I’d rather be called weird than boring, ya know.” 

There was another compliment tucked into Lil’s next statement as well. That mixed with the statement that she wasn’t into graying old men was enough for Anita to decide to graduate from light flirting to a more direct approach. “Thank you, it means graceful. I like to think I live up to that.” As they clinked their glasses together her eyes remained fixed on the other as they each took a sip, studying the gentle lines of her face as she let the tequila pour down her throat. 

“What’s the verdict?” She suspected that she knew the answer already, but there was always room for surprises in life. “And feel free to lie to me, if you want,” Anita teased with a smirk, lowering her voice slightly, “Cause I’d be happy to buy you a few more rounds even though we both know that was better than the usual offerings here.” 

_

Lil nodded, trying not to chuckle at the idea, “You’re right, they aren’t, but I’ll still hold on to the fact I don't think you’re weird. Then again, I don’t have a super great track record of being called not-weird. Also  for the record, you don’t seem boring either.” It was true at the very least, the girl who could see ghosts was never going to be welcomed with open arms - despite the Wicked’s Rest community’s habit of wanting to be a horror zone. She always figured it was the closeness with death people got uncomfortable with, but she decided not to dwell on that - instead smiling to the other. After all, Anita didn’t seem to find her that odd, and that was enough. 

“You certainly are,” Lil said with a light laugh, drinking the tequila sliding down a lot smoother than what she usually drank.  It wasn’t hard, to be fair. Lil for most of her life was a traveling exorcist, and she had gotten used to staying in dive bars until four am drinking whatever they offered. 

So while she wouldn’t have minded lying to not pay for drinks she couldn’t help shaking her head and replying, “No no you won the bet on that one. It’s a lot smoother than what I usually have, and I can’t deny your victory.” Lil said, putting the glass back down. 

“I will get another round if you want one too - probably not a shot or the floor and I am going to be great friends,” Lil said with a chuckle looking back at Anita. “And while I think I’m pretty adorable sitting here, I promise you I won’t be then.” 

_

Anita grinned softly when the other woman implied that she, too, seemed to have experience with being a bit weird, a bit eclectic - different. “When I first moved to the States, my English was horrible, I was experiencing intense culture shock, and I was very gay and very very into insects. I didn’t have a great track record with being called not-weird for several consecutive years of my life.” 

“A woman of honor, how noble,” she teased, given that Lil didn’t deny the obvious outcome of their little bet. “I do love a little victory, even if I was sure of the outcome before I even made the bet.” Anita signaled over to the bartender, who was finishing up a round of drinks for another group of customers. 

Turning her attention back, Anita smiled widely at the compliment Lil had given herself. “I love that. I love when women aren’t afraid to compliment themselves. Cause you do look absolutely adorable sitting there. And while I think you would look equally adorable laying down,” she paused for just a moment, her eyes dropped down to the other woman's lips briefly before returning to her gaze, “we’ll certainly avoid any more shots tonight.”

“Do you wanna order this round?” Anita asked once the bartender returned to where they were sitting to take their order. “Or should I? I don’t mind taking the lead.” 

_

Lil nodded at the explanation thinking that was a way to get called weird. Not knowing how much the others knew about ghosts she just shrugged and said, “Dressed like this most of my life, got in a lot of fights and my family is pretty- uh -  notorious around here.” It might have been enough of a hint about the ghosts that seemed to haunt her, and was light enough that it wasn’t dragging down the talk. “I speak a lot of languages too - but haven’t managed to learn Spanish. Maybe you could help?” Lil said a little teasing.

She chuckled at the idea of being honorable but still gave a little bow in her seat. “What can I say, I might bullshit a lot, but not with an obvious win.” That, and it was just nice to agree with Anita. 

Lil couldn’t help the blush that filled her face as the other doubled down on her own compliment to herself, her eyes widening slightly. She was only glad she didn’t stutter and kept Anita’s gaze replying, “Glad you agree. Would be a shame if you didn’t.” Lil’s smile grew as she started to hide her own blush behind light joking,“ Good on you to think of my relationship with the floor.”  

Turning to look at the bartender with a nod  and back to Anita, Lil shook her head and said, “No it seems like you’ve got the better taste with drinks. Go ahead.” 

_

“Oh yeah? You mentioned a brother, if I recall. You two get into too much trouble around town as kids or something?” Anita declined to note the similarity between their families as being somewhat notorious in their hometown. She had no desire for the night to be derailed by too many family details. “A lot of languages? I’m impressed. What languages? Well, I am an excellent teacher. If you ever want a private lesson… yo te doy una clase privada, mi amor.” 

“I’m a very conscientious person. Always gotta think about your relationship with the floor. And any other flat surfaces, of course.” With all the utter bullshit that had been happening lately, Anita felt so relieved that the possibility of a simple normal night was still an occasional option. There were no crystal monsters, nobody trying to kill her roommate - just two beautiful women sharing a drink at a bar.

“Two paloma’s.” She ordered from the bartender. “Thing about having good taste is you just have to try things sometimes, push yourself out of your comfort zone.” When the drinks arrived, Anita held hears up to cheers, “To… being a bit weird and trying new things.” She smirked slightly before putting the glass to her lips and taking a long, slow drink. “If you ever do want Spanish lessons, I could also teach you how to make some mean cocktails. Always a real crowd pleaser at parties.” 

_

“Nah it was almost always me,” Lil said with a bit of a grin at the idea that Jonas would get in trouble for anything. While it wasn’t true that he was a goody two shoes or any other such markers - he didn’t like making people upset. He was quiet, and kind. “Yes - I mean I can list them if you want, but it’ll probably get boring,” Lil said looking at Anita with a smile. At the idea of her being her teacher one of Lil’s eyebrows went up, finding her switching to Spanish very attractive, “I would like that.” 

Lil laughed and continued, “Oh of course. I also think we should make sure it’s comfortable. Wouldn’t want any more bruises than necessary. I wouldn’t want you to have a bad time on a horizontal surface either.” It was nice flirt back and forth, something from a more simple part of Lil’s life rearing up than what the last while was. 

At the drink choice she nodded thinking it was a good choice and focusing back on Anita. “True - I guess I have been stuck in my comfort zone lately.” Something like that at least. Lil was in a holding pattern, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was making her on edge, although she had to admit the tequila was making it a little looser now. Clinking Anita’s glass Lil echoed the statement with a laugh.

 “Oh now that’s also a great deal. I’ll have to take you up on it. You’ll have to let me know what you might want in return,” Lil said, taking a sip of the drink and pausing for a moment. “After all, I don’t think you should be giving away trade secrets for free. I’ll have to get you dinner at least.” 

_

“A lone trouble maker. I like that.” Anita certainly got up to her fair share of trouble, both now and in her adolescence, but back then it was always accompanied by her sisters - who often caused far more of a scene than she ever did. She shook the thoughts away, focused instead on the evening and how she hoped it might unfold. “I doubt anything you do is boring. Even listing off things.

The comment about more bruises than necessary caused Anita to slightly raise one of her eyebrows, she didn’t know if the comment meant what it did in her head but she was certainly interested in finding out. “I don’t think either of us would have a bad time on a horizontal surface, especially not together.” It was hard to put her finger on, but there was something about the other woman that simply drew Anita in. She was interesting. “If you ever need any help busting out of your comfort zone, I’d be happy to help.”

“I hope you take me up on every offer I make tonight.” Anita smirked as she placed her glass to her lips again, savoring a slow drink as her mind danced around for an appropriate response to the question about what she would want in return. “Oh, I wouldn’t give away all my trade secrets for free. Gotta keep ya coming back.” Anita adjusted how she was sitting in the stool, placing her glass down on the counter and leaning in a bit closer to Lil. “ Drinks and dinner? If I didn’t know any better I’d say that sounded like a date. ” 

_

Lil chuckled at the idea leaning back slightly to give a ‘bow’ to the idea. Out of her siblings she had always been the one to cause problems. Maybe she should have been ashamed by that, but well she didn’t feel like she was in the wrong most of the time. Besides, even if she had been more well behaved it wouldn’t have been better. She would have just been more tired then she already was. 

At the comment Lil couldn’t help but smile and said, “Oh I’m certain that it wouldn’t be a bad time.” It had been a long time since she felt flirty in person and it was fun to talk to the other woman, especially about nothing particularly deep at all. At the suggestion she nodded and said, “First one I’d call.” 

Lil’s eyebrow raised slightly a look of amusement in her eyes as she said, “I wouldn’t dream of denying one.” Leaning arm on the bar she turned more to Anita and continued, “Of course. I wouldn’t want to be a freeloader. - Sure.  If you’d like to go on a date I’d love to take you on one. If not, just drinks and dinner. You are fun to be around.” The drinks finally made her a bit more brave and less nervous, Lil didn’t mind either scenario. Normally she would insist it wouldn’t be a date, a fear of commitment pressing on her bones closer than most other things, but Anita didn’t seem to be one to take all of that particularly seriously. That and if she was honest she did want to see the other again. 

_

“Guess I gotta give you my number then, so you can make that call whenever you feel so inclined.” Anita said with a smirk before reaching across the bar and grabbing a pen and a napkin. She quickly jotted down her first name followed by her cell number before offering it over to Lil. “And please, feel free to use it for any other reasons too. No limitations.” It was more of a line than it was the truth, but it was one that she had learned tended to work out pretty well. And in the event that someone took the no limitations caveat too seriously, the technology to block phone numbers was always at her fingertips. 

There was a pang of hesitation, it felt, in her response to the joke about a date. For how much of a player she was, Anita didn’t have the same disdain for the word that she noted many others seemed to. A date didn’t mean anything serious, to her. Maybe that wasn’t the case for everyone, but Anita didn’t view it as anything more than an agreement to enjoy the company of another person in a romantic context. “Drinks and dinner and fun with a woman like yourself? I’m sure it will be a night we won’t forget no matter what we call it, mami.”