Participants:
| Scene Title | A Partygirl Of Interest |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Gina is allowed a night on the town, where she bumps into Peyton. Once Peyton's ability is revealed, the trio take notice that she just might be just what they are looking for. |
| Date | August 9, 2009 |
It's a Sunday night and relatively tame compared to Friday and Saturday nights. Having gotten tired of listening to Gina's complaining, Niki and Jessica have come to the conclusion that perhaps it's time to cut the kid some slack and let her out for a bit. There were a couple of rules. The main one being 'no drugs.' The second being that she has to hit up a place the others don't normally hang out at.
For Gina, it's like getting set free with a fake ID, only, she's come to realize it's not a fake ID. Not really. Drugs, while tempting, won't be too much of a problem. And tonight, she's found Rapture. As Gina flashes her ID and is let into the club, she begins to sway her hips to the loud bass pounding that she hears on one side of the door, and when that door is open, she is assaulted by the rest of the music as it hits her. She grins and is already feeling it, as she walks up and orders something alcoholic and turns around to lean back against the bar and watch the dancing around the room.
Peyton heads to the front of the line, flashing her fake ID and murmuring to the bouncer she's here to see the owner. He remembers her, so it's an easy in, despite the boos of those lined up outside. Of course, Peyton Whitney doesn't normally have to wait in the long lines as it is. Unfortunately, the bouncer tells her, Eliot's out but might return soon. She heads in anyway — may as well get a drink while she waits.
Today she doesn't look too much like herself— pink hair extensions here and there in her dark hair plus a pair of blue contacts make her look just different enough that most people will assume it's just someone who looks like Peyton Whitney, and not Peyton herself.
She heads to the bar first, where she leans across the counter until the bartender sees her. "Jolly Rancher, please?" she says, with a smile. As he begins to mix her drink, she settles on the barstool, near Gina.
Gina's drink is brought forth and she takes a healthy swallow. It's been a while for her. She watches the girl, who is obviously not 'of age' take a seat next to her and she grins mischeviously. Being out of the loop as often as she is, she isn't going to recognize Peyton Whitney, even if someone pointed her out in a crowd. She flashes a smile and brings her hand up to brush her hair out of her eyes, she offers an "Heya." to the other girl.
It's been rather different for her as of late. She's the youngest of the three personalities that reside within the same body, which means she gets let out when 'they' let her out. The brief treatment she received in the future that began the split of personalities, but when she was tugged back with the procedure unfinished, now is a blur that is stronger than ever. Each personality is aware of what the other is doing. It's not fair, but she's going to take advantage when she can.
They could pull her back at any moment they please.
Peyton turns and looks at the other woman, who looks oddly familiar. She isn't interested enough in politics and news to place the face with the name of Tracy Strauss, but the blonde is definitely someone she's seen before, and in the media. That makes her interesting. "Hi," Peyton says, picking up the sweet red drink the bartender puts in front of her, and lifts it in a little toast. "How's it going?" she asks, pushing a pink-streaked lock of hair behind one ear. She's beginning to feel more like herself — and no one's bothered her yet, in two nights, going on three, away from the safehouse.
Safehouse, if mentioned allowed would definitely peak someone's interest, though it's probably not Gina. She is dressed very casually, white logo-embazoned T-shirt, and jeans with some black sneakers. Her hair is typical for Niki, except for the bit of hair on top that is gathered together with a hairband and rests atop her head, and probably more makeup than Niki wears. "Oh, it's going okay. Name's Gina." she offers just before she takes another drink. "Ain't been here before, but figured I'd stop in and see what it's like. I don't normally get out much."
"It's a nice club," Peyton says with a nod and a glance at Gina's casual get up. The bouncer must have found her hot, or maybe racked his brain too for why she looked familiar, as the outfit isn't usually enough to pass the exclusive club's standards. "You look really familiar," she says, sipping her drink. "But I don't think we've met. I'm Peyton," she says quietly, so as not to announce it to the world, just in case anyone decides to take cell photos of her. "The owner's a friend of mine. Nice guy."
"Dunno him." Which was the point in her coming here in the first place. Be somewhere where folks wouldn't recognize her. She doesn't even consider Strauss when Peyton says she looks familiar. Niki doesn't have a TV, nor does she both much with news, which also explains why she doesn't recognize Peyton. "Peyton's a cool name. Sounds like a rich person's kid's name."
Just then someone walks by and takes a double take at the two girls, before stopping. "I recognize you both from somewhere. Have we met before?" He's tall, bald and relatively handsome. He's addressing them both, looking from one to the other, definitely trying his best to turn on his charm.
"It is a rich person's kid's name," Peyton says with a chuckle. "That is, my parents were pretty well off, and they had it picked out for either a boy or a girl. I'm the only child though. Good thing or if I had a brother he'd probably be named Shannon, since they claim that's a unisex name too." When the man comes up and looks at both, she shakes her head. "No, sorry. Probably just seen me in here before," she offers, ducking her head a little. Hopefully he hadn't heard her talking about her name.
Gina watches as Peyton reacts to the man and she smirks, and looks up at him. "Guess that's your answer." She loops her arm through Peyton's with a sultry grin and winks at him. "We're together." It takes the man a moment or two to watch them, before he just shakes his head and wanders off.
Gina seems also proud of herself as she watches him walk away. "Seen that guy before, or just don't want to be bothered with tonight?" she asks as she pulls her arm back and reaches for her drink, finishing it off and asking for another.
Peyton laughs a little, glancing over her shoulder as the man walks away. She glances back at Gina, brow knitting as she studies the blonde's face. "No, I haven't seen him… he's probably seen me though. I kinda hang out with celebrities sometimes. Been in the tabloids, that sort of thing," she says a little quietly, her teeth raking over her lower lip thoughtfully. "Trying to lie low, a little — hence the hair and fake contacts. I'm naturally not quite so colorful." She winks at that.
Gina shakes her head, giving a chuckle that's barely heard above the music. "If that's true, I figure you'd be dying for a little publicity." She returns the wink. "So I guess asking what you do for a living would make your answer redundant. I'm afraid I don't keep up much with the news, so I probably wouldn't recognize you anyway." she admits.
The young socialite gives a short little huff of a laugh. "I don't work. I don't really have to," she says, though her cheeks flush as they usually do when she has to admit she is actually happily unemployed. "It's okay. I don't really keep up on the news either. And it's not real news. It's like, TMZ shit and stuff. I've had enough publicity of late, though. Sort of freaked out in public last week, been keeping my nose to the ground or whatever they say since."
"Freaked out how?" Gina asks, as she leans in closer, so she can hear without Peyton having to yell. The trio is not unaccustomed to freak-outs. She swivels her chair back and forth with her hips.
Is this one of those people that is going to throw her in a hole, force her to fight a war, or otherwise exploit her powers? Peyton doubts it — Gina was at the bar before she got here. "I … kind of made a scene in a club. They thought I had a bad trip or was ODing or something, but it wa something else," Peyton says quietly, leaning forward so her hair shields her face and only Gina can see her lips. "They brought me to the hospital but it wasn't anything to do with the drugs. I'm supposed to … register, but I haven't yet."
Huh. Well, not like Gina knows anyone who could bury her even if she was that sort of person. Which she's not. She barely cares about what's all going on with Niki and Jessica, much less care about someone evolved. She's evolved herself. Evolved and a freak. "So, you gonna do it? The register thing?" she asks, curious now.
"I don't know. I've never been good at making decisions, you know? It's a lot to process. My one friend says it's no big deal, but the people who helped me for a couple of days, I stayed at some sort of safehouse, they said it was really dangerous, that if people find out I'm Evo, which they already know, the doctors at the hospital called the cops to come get me to register, that they can abduct me and make me do things I don't wanna do. Like work for Frontline or whatever else. Or that people who hate Evos might come after me. This one girl, she suggested getting my face changed. I don't know, I don't want to give up my face and my friends and my life, but I don't want to get abducted either." Exhale. She takes a big swallow from the cocktail, finishing it off.
Gina's second drink arrives and she begins to sip at it. "I think it depends on what you can do. It's definitely something you wanna be careful about. I know someone who's been taken and used by the government, then jailed, then hunted down. Then I know folks who haven't been bothered at all." she shrugs. "I guess it just depend on if they have use for you."
"See, that's why I'm confused. It's like, 'no big deal' for some, and then others have horror stories that make Stephen King look like kids' books, you know?" Peyton says and runs a hand through her bangs, sweeping them over to the side. "I … I don't know much about my own ability yet. I guess I can see what other people see… like, if I focus on it, I can see what they're looking at."
There's a curious glance that comes across Gina's face. "What do you mean you can see what other's see? Like, literally?" Her eyes drift as she watches a cute guy walk by, but then her attention goes back to Peyton who tries to explain what she can do. "Like, if you concentrate you can see what I'm looking at?"
"You mean, aside from the very obvious fact you're checking out mister blondielocks over there?" Peyton says with a conspiratorial grin. "That I don't need the power for. But yeah. I'm just learning how to use it, and I'm not even sure I want to know how, but… well." She turns and scans the bar, noticing someone looking down at something in his hand neither girl can see. "Let me see…"
Peyton's brow furrows, and a moment later, her eyes dilate, looking straight ahead at Gina but not seeing her. Thirty seconds pass, and then Peyton reaches up to rub her eyes, as if they hurt. "I can't seem to do it very long yet. He's checking his wallet. He only has a five in it. I don't think he can pay for his drink."
There's a brief pause, and it could almost seem as if Gina is listening to something. She realizes she's doing it and turns her attention back to Peyton. "That's pretty cool though. I hope it doesn't make you feel like you need to loan him some cash." she grins. "Look, you'll get it. Really. I have an ability of my own. It's just one of those things." Peyton may not necessarily care that Gina has a power, so she doesn't offer more than that.
Peyton leans to get a look of the man now that he's lifted his head. He is actually extremely good looking. "I don't feel like I have to, but man, he's cute." The socialite grins and stretches across the counter to tap the bartender's hand, giving him a ten. "Tell the guy with the margarita I've bought his drink for him," she says with a wink. She turns back to Gina. "You do? What do you do?"
Gina nods her head to the dance floor. "Take any ten or twelve of those guys out there and combine their strength and I'm still stronger." It's not a brag, but more a statement of fact. As if she could add 'no biggie' at the end. "Get a flat and need me to hold up the back of your car, lemme know." she grins.
"Damn," Peyton says, looking suitably impressed, her brows rising up to disappear under her bangs. "Good to know. Can I keep you on my good side?" she says. "I'll buy this round," she adds with a smirk, then more seriously, "Are you registered? No one's tried to kidnap you and make you go around fighting America's foes or anything like that?"
This is where it becomes complicated. She's been jailed, kidnapped, and used by the government. Only it wasn't her, it was Niki and Jessica. "Not me personally, but I know someone who has been. Fucked up her life good. She lost her husband and kid and everything. I mean, they died." Gina watches another guy drift by and look in their direction. She's certainly getting plenty of looks in her direction, though she chalks it up to being next to Peyton.
"That's… awful. What could she do?" Peyton asks, frowning and raising two fingers to the bartender, meaning a refill for both the women. "I mean… I don't have a husband or kid to lose, but I don't want to be kidnapped and screwed over just because of some fucking quirk of DNA, you know? I didn't ask to have this power, and if I could just throw it away, I would."
"She's kind of like me. Same sort of ability." Seriously, how do you explain to someone that you are part of three multiple personalities? As is is, Jessica has already taken notice of Peyton's ability, and will probably mention it to Cardinal. It's a useful ability for a group of ragtags who plan to invade the Linderman fortress. Gina reaches over and scribbles her number on a napkin. Seems she's being told it's time to go home. "I gotta get going, Peyton. But, if you ever need to talk, just give me a ring." She offers the napkin to the other girl.
Peyton raises her brows at the suddenness of Gina's apparent need to exit. "Oh," she says, taking the napkin and glancing at it. "Thanks. Take care." The bartender returns with their drinks, though Gina won't be drinking hers, looks like. She smiles a thanks up to him, and waves to the blonde. "G'night."
Not so fast. Gina reaches for her drink and in several quick gulps, it all goes down. Once a party girl, always a party girl and heaven forbid she let a drink go to waste. She gives Peyton a wink. "I gotta cerfew or something." she makes a face as if that'd explain everything. She walks off, turning around to give Peyton another friendly wave before she disappears out of the door.
A curfew? The woman looks older than she is. Weird. Peyton sighs and gives up on waiting for Eliot. Time to go home.