Participants:
| Scene Title | Big Boys Can Cry |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | A girl walks into a bar, meets a boy and sorta hit it off. Seamus lures Harmony back to his place after finding out she is Evolved not for the usual reasons, but to beseech her to help find his lost, Evo sister. A connection is made on that evening. |
| Date | October 26 |
"Abandon hope all ye who enter here."
That is the sign that rests just above the double doors that lead from the small foyer into the club proper. Once through the doors the music is all-encompassing, the heavy bass beat filling the room and senses of the club-goers. The decor is all dark, the walls painted black, the bar a sleek dark wood. The lights all have a reddish tinge to them, with the bar and DJ booth being the only places in the club proper that have more normal white light.
There are high tables with equally tall chairs circling a large dance floor, and booths set along two of the walls. But while socializing is a big part of the club, the dancing is the priority. People, some Goths, some punks, and some just people who like to dance are all packed on the dance floor. Weaving through the sea of people are servers, men and women both, dressed in black pants or skirts, and tee-shirts that have "Taratarus" written across the chest in red lettering. Likewise there are security people at the door and mixed through the club, in similar outfits, only their shirts have "SECURITY" on the back.
The pounding bass of Tartarus makes the walls shake as the last of the pre-curfew crowd filters out, swapping places with the more stoic and stoned post-curfew crowd. Peppy girls and well-dressed men swap with the more darkly slutty types, both men and women. Only the hardcore clubbers are here now, ready to waste away several hours until the curfew lifts. You're in it for the long haul, boys and girls! Though the sight of fishnets, corsets, and tight leather will make the night more pleasant.
Usually the type to be out and about all night, making contacts and enjoying life, Seamus has found his zest for life dampened for the moment. A good time to catch up on lost sleep, right? Nope, insomnia has set in alongside the worry in the Irishman's mind, so he's been out and about the city. With the sun long since set, Tartarus is his last stop. Dressed in jeans, a tight t-shirt, and a beaten leather jacket, he leans over the counter having a conversation with the female bartender, doing a miraculous job of not constantly admiring her upthrust cleavage. "Lexington Lane! She might have been hanging out here! Redhead, 5'7", gorgeous? No?"
After her previous clubbing incident a few nights ago, one would think Harmony would take a few days off from the nightlife. That, unfortunately would make her less of a party girl than she actually is. She isn't gonna let something like the threat of a concussion, or an injured wrist deter her from living it up. If anything, the small cast she has around her left wrist would say she parties pretty hard. The rest of her is of course decked in party going club-wear. She is rarely a skirt girl, so she sticks to rather tight pants and a low v-neck sleeveless top, that give her a bit of cleavage herself. She has to take away from the sight of her wrist after all. The color of the night is black, and leather at that.
She too had a bit of club hopping for the evening, and after her less dedicated friends went off for home, she took herself to ending the night at Tartarus, filtering in and heading straight for the bar to get herself a drink. The blonde with the long curly hair goes to stand in line at first, but she quickly makes her way ahead of a guy about to order by bumping and using what she has to get him to stare as she scoots in his place, leaning over the bar to order something hard.
Her approach to the bar immediately gets the bartender's attention, and the Hispanic man smiles wide in appreciation as Harmony leans in. He nods to her, right at the same time as, at the other end of the bar, Seamus is getting a shake of the head from the other bartender, as well as an apology. Briefly dejected, Seamus curls his lip in disappointment, drumming his fingers against the bartop. What now? … Time to drink, he guesses. Two fingers get held up and the bartender nods, going off to get Seamus his drink as Harmony's starts to get mixed.
Idly making his way down the bar, Seamus begins to people watch, standing tall and moving ponderously…and managing to look right over the blonde girl bending over the bar, actually bumping into her. His hand goes to her shoulder, leaning away with a big, lopsided smile. "Sorry, sorry! Y'alright?"
If she didn't expect to get knocked into, she wouldn't have come to the bar, even in her present condition. Such collisions are accounted for, so she keeps her arm out of danger. It was only a matter of time before she would be introduced to someone through such means, and it seams Seamus would be the first. Just as her mouth opens and she draws in the breath to speak her order, she jumps and blinks, turning her head around to look at the taller man with her bright blue eyes. Her blond brow arches, curiously, probably expecting someone else, but quickly playing it cool with a smirk.
"You did that on purpose." she accuses him with a hint of jest in her voice. "Out to take advantage of a poor injured girl, trying to get her party on. I'd say you should be ashamed of yourself, but.. I'll let it slide just this once, if you buy me a drink… And keep talking. I'm feeling the accent."
Seamus's brief worry quirks with amusement at Harmony's snark, and he can't help but grin and laugh. Her shoulder gets a squeeze, just to make sure she's upright, and he folds his arms across his chest. "Maybe. It's a special trick o' mine. I call it Dowsing for Dames. Makes sure I meet the most beautiful girl in the club. And it hasn't failed yet." He shakes his head in amazement at her ultimatum, and he looks over with a nod to the bartender. "A cherry whiskey sour, m' good man!" he says, lowering himself a little as he falls onto one of the barstools. Harmony's last request has him raising a sculpted eyebrow, his boyish smile tinging mischievous. "Oh aye? An' what accent would that be, lass?" He gestures for her to come closer. Sit, stand, whatever. Just come closer to him, so the other people in line can order their drinks.
Well, she isn't batting him away, and her chuckle would indicate that she is at least enjoying the wit and charm. She doesn't seem put off or toppled over the bar from being ran into. His hold on her assures to that. The curly blond hair that hangs down her shoulders and back do add to her slightly wild appearance, and a hand come up to brush apart the bangs from her face. "Hah. That's cute." she grins at his reply, "Much more clever than I'm used to. But you would have had me at 'hi', to be honest." She scoots out of the way of the people in line, sliding against the bar to find a stool next to him, sitting so she can face him. "You're.. Irish, right? Not originally from here? I've been over there once or twice, I can honestly say, the guys aren't disappointing, and it's nice to see that still holds true over here. I'm Harmony, by the way." she sets her injured wrist on the bar, to keep it out of the way of anyone else that might be eager to get a drink.
Seamus's shaggy hair isn't completely unkempt, the short cut making sure that the stray locks still keep to their general territory. Which is good, as he hasn't been keeping a close eye on his appearance the last few days. The Irishman chuckles, tugging at the wrinkled sleeve of his t-shirt, pulling it lower over his bicep and a greenish, fading bruise on his bicep that's only partially covered. "Hi," he says simply for the moment, winking and looking somewhat entranced as Harmony slides up onto the stool across from him. He's starting to forget those worries, just for a moment.
Resting his chin in his hand, elbow on the bar, Seamus just smiles while Harmony talks. "They don't make 'em like they do over in Ireland, eh? That your homeland, or y'there for business? Seamus, m'self." His eyes flick down to her wrist and his smile falls, though his palm still pushes up the flesh of his cheek, scrunching one eye. "What's th' name of the guy who did that to you? Is he here, and has he had th' shit kicked out o' him for it, yet?"
"Seamus? Really?" the girl's brows raise with an expression of surprise, "Wow, you aren't faking the accent, are you? Not that you would be the type of guy who would or anything.." the girl reaches to place a comforting and apologetic hand on his knee; the good hand, breaking the boundaries of unfamiliarity. "I've just seen guys try to use the foreign accent thing to pick up girls. But no, I'm not from there, just visited with my family when I was a bit younger. We were always on the go back then." Observant, she does catch the bruise before he covers it up, though it doesn't seem to turn her off of talking with him. If anything, it seems to make her a bit more interested. She is the type who loves interesting stories, and a guy with bruises is bound to have some.
Lifting her wrist to look at it and display it, she wrinkles her nose, shaking her head, "Nah. Believe me, if I knew who it was that stepped on my wrist, they would have gotten more than the shit kicked of out them. Unfortunately, I was unconscious a second or so later. I was the victim of a chaotic trample. Big bust or something at this club called Rapture." she waves her good hand about in the air, dismissing, rolling her eyes. "Police came in, people pulled guns, started shooting, folks got shot.. Would have been a bit more fun if I'd have had time to get a few more drinks in me first." she grins. "But if you were hinting at wanting to beat someone up for me, I'm flattered. I could actually go for a guy like that. Trouble seems to follow me as of late, and I'm not a scrapper."
"So've I. Y'should see th' frightened looks on their faces when y' clap 'em on th' back an' start grillin' 'em about all the old haunts back in Dublin. Like rabbits inna spotlight, b'fore they scurry back to their dens." Seamus makes a running gesture with his fingers, trotting them towards Harmony, and even running up her extended arm, when she rests her hand on his knee, though he sets his hand on top of hers after, giving it a squeeze.
As she gives her story, though, his face falls from amusement to amazement, and she can almost see his hackles rising. Gesturing to the bartender near the end, Seamus leans towards Harmony a little as he says, "Another whiskey sour f'r th' lady. That is some story. An' y' made it out with just a busted wrist? That's luck fer ya." His hand tightens on hers. "What kinda trouble?"
Harmony smirks at his assessment involving the more cheesier guys, and their attempts to play it cool. Even not minding the little display of his fingers running up her arm. "Yeah, well, I imagine you're a pretty intimidating guy. You're tall for one thing, and you're Irish, so people probably automatically think you have a temper and a perchance for fighting. So I gather most try to watch their mouth around you." As the drink is set down on the bar next to her, she smiles and thanks the bartender, picking it up and taking a strong sip. She is obviously one who can hold her liquor, as she doesn't so much as flinch at the taste.
"Mm." she shakes her head, with a fresh swing in her mouth, taking a second to swallow it before continuing, "Actually, I almost got a concussion. I'm should still be in the hospital for observation actually, but I think I'm good. I can't play the drums for a few weeks, or hit he turntables, but I'll get by. I always do." she comments with a raise of her brows and a grin. Her fingers resting against the palm of his hand, not seeming to mind much, and even tickling the tips in the center of it. As he asks about trouble, she draws in a breath and releases a sigh, "Well.. let's just say that is the second time this week I was almost hit by gunfire. Mind you, I'm not doing anything wrong? I just.. seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time a lot."
As Harmony talks about Seamus' physical assets, he grins immodestly. Tall? He straightens up. Fighting? He flexes his arm against the bar. "They'd be feckin' right," he says proudly. He laughs at her assessment. "Could be I'm hangin' around th' wrong types, if me lookin' big an' mean is supposed ta still their tongues." Not that he looks mean at all, but rather has a somewhat boyishly handsome face on that bulky body. As they talk, two tall, dark glasses of beer get slid Seamus' way. His hand lifts off Harmony's to pull out his wallet and dig out a few bills.
"Almost?" Seamus asks with a laugh to his voice, though he does give Harmony's noggin a brief once-over. "Good thing that's an almost then, or I'd be duty-bound to stop y' from drinkin'. An' it's against m' religion t' ever stop a pretty girl from drinkin'." His brows furrow further, though he does smile. "Well, sounds like y've got an interestin' life, then." Is that…a little envy in his gaze?
A little bit of peacocking doesn't hurt when you actually have the things one is speaking about. And she finds the display a bit endearing, if not for his accent alone. Harmony continues to smile, which as of late has been a rare thing, since she came to New York. "There's more than just looking the part. From what I've observed so far, you have the personality to go with it. I could sit here and flatter you all night, to be honest." her brows settle into a small single bounce to go with the smirk on her face, making her words that much more flirty. She isn't the type to turn down drinks, so as long as they keep coming, she is happy to keep drinking. She's the daughter of a pair of rockers, so heavy alcohol ingestion is in her blood. "And I don't think you'd mind that one little bit." she takes another swig of her drink.
The blow she received to her head that rendered her unconscious can't really be seen, as it is in the back of her head, which is covered by her hair. She got off light, all things considered, "Interesting doesn't cover the past week. Although, you did miss me here on Rocky Horror night. The only night where I could have gotten away with wearing only bra and panties without being yelled at for being indecent." she grins.
"An' I could sit here an' listen to it all night, t' be truly honest," Seamus replies, his smile turning cockeyed and he rolls a shoulder in a half-shrug. So he does have some modesty, at least. Tilting his drink to his lips, Seamus savors the smooth slide of that brew down his gullet, cooling his thirst. "Mmmm…were ya now? Well, now I'm gonna be kickin' myself for missing that. Next time?" His eyes slide down her form. "I could see y' makin' a good Rocky, actually."
At that moment, Seamus almost wore her drink, as she about spits it up in a choking second of laughter from his words. She avoids the incident however by putting her hand to her mouth and regaining composure, and swallowing the bit of fluid. She fans her hand back and forth in front of her face, as swallowing alcohol is okay, however having it in your nose isn't comfortable. "No.. I actually wasn't Rocky." she chuckles, "I went as Janet. There was a guy here that went as Rocky, that I know. He was a sport about it too, I got up and did a song, and he was my prop. Ohh.. BUT.." she pauses and snickers at something, "Come to find out? He's only 17. It was hilarious. He's totally this young kid and he'd been hitting on me for days. It was so cute." the girl's eyes roll playfully around. She braves another drink, "Though you.. I could have seen as Rocky." It is her turn to give him a look over, "I'd have paid to see that, actually."
Seamus brings an arm up over his face when she splutters, leaning back in surprise. "Don't drown!" he says with a laugh, peeking out over his arm to see if it's safe. Leaning back in, he reaches around her to pat gently on her back. His lips tighten at the mention of this pretty blonde using a guy as a "prop". Jealousy! Though his jaw drops a moment later. "Y'r kiddin'! Hah! Oh, that's adorable! Did y' give him a sliver of hope? Lead him on a little, just t' humor him?" Seamus tilts his head to the side, looking from Harmony down his body with a grin. "Y'd have t' get me really drunk t' get int' that getup. I'm told that gold just ain't m' color." And he takes a few large gulps of his beer. Liquid confidence, mixing with real confidence from her flattery, has him sitting straight and grinning proudly. Don't let his head swell too much, or he won't be able to walk out the door.
The coast is clear, she seems to have it under control after a moment. "Actually." Harmony holds up a finger, "I did. But, this is a little before I knew he was 17.. He's deceptively mature looking for his age. He's got a body like yours, and is just about as tall. Met him one day at the park. An incident involving an angry monkey." After saying this, Harmony hesitates and thinks about that statement, brows knitting together. "Huh. I guess I do lead a pretty interesting life. Wow. Never thought about it." she grins, "Ah well. When I decide to rejoin life, I do it with a bang, hm?" she raises her glass a second in a toasting gesture and takes a sip. "Mm.." she peers at him with a scrutinizing eye, "You are for sure suited for darker colors. Though.. I'd say, it'd be nice to see you in jeans and a tank top just as much as it would for you to be dressed up. You have a very flattering figure. They breed em good over in Ireland." She can't help but flatter, he makes it easy.
Ah, so she has a type! The comment about an 'angry monkey' has Seamus stopping with beer partway to his lips, just blinking at Harmony for a moment. "Yeah, I'd say y' do," he says with a chuckle, shaking his head with another long drink from his beer. Which ends with a toast for her, and another quick drink. "To banging th' shit outta life, eh?" he offers. And he's not even drunk, yet!
Seamus laughs, setting his beer down to roll up one sleeve of his t-shirt, bunching the fabric around his shoulder and showing more of his muscular arm, as well as more of that bruise, and what looks like a nasty cut that's well on its way to healing. "How's that? Better? And…" He lets go of his shirt, pointing a finger at Harmony. "If y' can keep a secret…" Looking left, then right, Seamus leans in to stage-whisper conspiratorially, "It's all th' vitamin G. Better'n milk. Truth, my hand to god," he says, raising his hand towards the ceiling.
This was not the first bar she had been to this evening. So these are not the first drinks that she has had either. She planned on getting intoxicated enough to dull the pain of her wrist, and so far she is doing a decent job. Harmony is feeling a little good from the effects that alcohol has on the human body. Not that she wasn't outgoing to begin with. Being one of those mild yet wild girls, who crosses the boundaries of the conventional, typical girl into being at least fun about things. "Bangin' the shit out of life." she agrees and laughs. She holds up her injured wrist, giving it a little bit of a shake, "I so can't feel this right now. I bet you I'll be paying for it in the morning." Yeah, she's on her way to being at THAT point.
As his sleeve rolls up, Harmony peers at his arm and hops off her stool to get a closer look at the injury, "Hah! A fight, right?" she is within his personal space in order to get her inspection in, reaching with a finger to trace up the bruise, "Is that how you got that? Or is there a more interesting story?" She arches a brow at the comment about vitamin G, "Well, you look good, either way."
"There's a solution to that: More drink when you wake up," says the alcoholic Irishman. Feeling no pain is a good place to be, in his mind, and Seamus is starting to feel that pleasant buzz in the back of his mind.
When Harmony comes closer, seems that Seamus doesn't mind a pretty girl in his space bubble, as he turns his shoulder her way to get a better look. Looks like it wasn't an easy cut. Something jagged tore the skin, and the blood that's scabbed over is rough and uneven. The sign of a wound that closed naturally. When she touches his bruise, he winces and hisses dramatically, flexing his bicep. "Glass bottle. Drunk fucker was swingin' at my head, an' I'm lucky he missed." He cranes his head, looking down at that scratch of his own, admiring it like it were a medal…before looking up to admire those blue eyes so close to him now. "An' you look good enough to eat," he says, his voice dropping to a low rumble, now that they're close enough to hear each other over the music.
Harmony gives a sudden 'ha!' at his solution and points at him, "I like that. I'll have to put that on my fridge or something. Or the dry erase board." she grins. "Beer for breakfast! That's a balanced meal for me." The girl loves to party, what can she say. Though her eyes lightly squint a bit to get a good look at the wounds on his arm. She was perhaps a little heavy handed when she touched, but at this point, that could be expected. "Ouch.." she bites her bottom lip in sympathy, "Sorry.." she rubs her hand over it a bit softer, to better soothe it, not coming to the cut of course. "You totally need to teach me how to fight. I get into too many situations to not be able to— Well.. I can 'defend' myself, but I'd like to learn how to put someone off of me without resorting to extreme methods. Either that, or you've gotta move in with me, and walk around and protect me at all times." she smirks, joking. "Oh.. I did almost bust this guy in the nuts though." she waggles her finger in the air, "Yet another interesting day. This dude and his wife were having a lover's spat. He cheated, she caught him, she was throwing his shit out the window. So.. yeah.. the guy? He tried to grab me and pull me into their arguement. Now, I'm not one for letting strange creeps grab on me, so I kicked him! I missed his crotch, but he got the idea and ran away." she bring her head to hang back a bit, shaking it and rolling her eyes. "Some guys.. I tell you. Annnyway.." she leans back forward a bit, putting her hands on his legs, grinning. "So, I guess I'm not gonna have to worry about your girlfriend jumping out and trying to beat my ass, am I?"
"A little alcohol to prepare y' for the day. And plenty of calories t' fill yer belly and give y' the energy y' need. Got more good stuff in it for y' than oatmeal, at least!" When she rubs at his bruise, Seamus just smiles and shrugs, lifting his arm up to make it easier for her to rub his arm. He's certainly not complaining. At her offer, he wrinkles his nose a little bit, and a finger gets leveled at her. "What y' need is for your boyfriend to take better care of you." Yeah, the lazy bastard! Still, he laughs and shifts a little away from her, just enough to cross one leg over the other. "Don't do that too much. That's a powerful weapon, an' not a power t' be abused." He gets a look of distaste on his face.
The mention of a girlfriend has his face falling for a moment before he shakes his head, turning away to finish off the last of his first beer in a long swig. "Mmmm…nah, haven't been lucky enough t' snag any girl yet. Y'know how it is…y'just move to a city, an' it takes a while t' settle in." His joviality has taken a nosedive suddenly, as he eyes the bottom of his foamy glass.
"A boyfriend to take better care of me…" she echoes while bringing her drink to her lips, finding it amusing. She doesn't quite laugh, but it's there, she wants to. In truth, she is good at defending herself. Though sometimes her defense tends to be pretty final on the other person in most circumstances. Something she doesn't automatically go talking about. She gives her shoulders a little shrug, "It might be nice. It'd be a decent change at least. My last relationship ended okay. He was a doctor, not really a big tough guy. It just.. We grew apart, yanno? I had a lot of shit to deal with, and I didn't wanna bring him under. He needed to focus on getting his degree, so I let him go. We're still friends. Think i should try out a tough guy this time? See what all the fuss is about?" The question is rhetorical of course. As he crosses his legs about her little groin kicking fiasco, she laughs, "I'm not gonna try to kick you there, I promise." she pats his leg. "That's the last thing I wanna do, believe me."
As he seems to get a little down on the subject of relationships, and turns more towards the bar, Harmony seems to pick up on it, reaching to place a comforting hand on his back, near his shoulder, "Aww.. You're kidding. You? Not snag a girl? I totally don't believe that. It's taking everything I've got right now to not ask you out myself. I figured I'd give you the chance first."
"A doctor!" Seamus gives a low, impressed whistle as he hefts his other glass of Guinness, "Well, y'can't say y' aren't doin' good for y'rself. Yeah, I've been through that, m'self. Y'grow away from each other, find out y'r not who the other person wants?" Or vice versa, in his case. Her pat to his leg gets him to grin. "Well, y'can't start talking about that kinda stuff and not expect a guy to get nervous! I'll jus' keep my leg here for now, til m'second in command decides he can come out of his bunker."
At her comforting touch, he shakes his head. "It's not so much tha'. Had a few girls in my life. It's just that…" His face tightens, eyes slipping towards the front door, suddenly hesitant to meet her gaze. His head shakes slightly before he gives his head a quick shake. "It's nothin'." Her offer gets him to glance up at her briefly though, and his chin tips up with a curious smile. The cat's swinging at the dangling string. "Well, that's th' proper way t' do things, innit? But…" He puts a hand on hers. "I'm not th' safest guy t' be around. Best y' find someone who won't give y' more concussions."
Second in command.. It's enough to make her chuckle. "Come on now," Harmony coaxes, giving him a little nudge with her hip in his stool. "Don't make me have to resort to promises of heavy petting to get you to open back up. You might mistake me for something less than I am." she winks, teasingly. She only has one good hand, but she uses it, and pretty well. Harmony puts her hand on him, or at least her good one, using it to kneed her fingers into the back of his neck, and down to where it meets his shoulder in a massage. "Yanno, being a musician.. specifically a drummer, makes me pretty good with my hands. I should look into massage therapy as a side." she mentions.
"Huh. Not the safest guy to be around?" she gives a shrug, "I'm not the most safe of people myself. Aside from being a walking disaster area, I'm.." she hesitates and thinks about it for a few minutes, "Well.. a pretty dangerous girl. Just put it that way. But I'm trying to get better." She sighs at the thought, recalling just what she is capable of. "Maybe I'm ready to give someone else's danger a try? You'd protect me, wouldn't you?"
Despite himself, Seamus' eyes lid as Harmony kneads into the back of his neck, and he tilts his head slowly forward, rumbling deeply, "Rrrrr…now that's just not cricket. Yeah, maybe y' should…" As she describes herself, Seamus forces his head up, looking her over…and snorting. "You? Y'look as dangerous as a bunny t' me, lass. No offense meant," he says, adding the last part as a quick afterthought. Though part of what she's said still bothers him…he just can't put his finger on what. His hand with the glass of beer hangs low, and the cool glass presses against the curve of her waist as he leans in a little towards Harmony. "I couldn't not," he says, quietly and a little hesitantly, searching Harmony's face with a conflicted look.
Around them, the club is pumping up into full swing. People are crowding around the pair now, loudly ordering drinks and jostling against them. The smell of sweat and pheromones is starting to permeate the air.
'Ohhh, as dangerous as a bunny.' Harmony thinks. Maybe if the bunny was sitting on a button that could launch a nuke. If you scare it, it could jump and push it, causing problems. But she doesn't have anything to prove, so she doesn't do anything to defend her 'dangerousness'. She doesn't like to think about those things, and the idea of not having to worry about causing an accident because someone else is there for her, sounds like a nice prospect to her. "None taken." she smiles, "Thanks." genuinely meaning it. But for what? The touch of the glass against her side actually touches her skin, causing her to jump and arch her back a little, edging herself even closer towards him. She has to bite her bottom lip at the cool sensation, "Mm. Come one, Seamus. We're gonna be here for a while, so I think we should be pretty familiar with each other by the time we leave out of here and get breakfast in the morning." her arms rest at his shoulders, hanging her hands just slightly over the backs of them. "You can stay close and keep the creeps in the bar from trying to pick me up."
Seamus tips the glass away from her side, eyebrows raising as she slips closer to him. "Ah, mea culpa. Cold?" Slipping his other arm around her, his beer changes hands, and he presses a warm palm to her skin, warming up that cool, damp spot. "Better?" he asks through a large, buzzed grin. Her offer certainly has him tempted, and he tilts his head back, letting out a quiet laugh. "You make some very persuasive arguments. Not sure I'll be conscious come breakfast, just a warning. But keepin' th' creeps away, that for sure I can do for ya." Despite his conflicted thoughts, the idea of being able to play protector to a pretty girl is too tempting a prospect to pass up. "So…m' troublesome lass… what kinds of creeps do you usually attract?"
"Much better." Harmony says a little lower, though still talking over the music. Her lips can be read of course too, since they're looking at each other. The warmth of his palm settling in over her skin. Someone else's warmth is always a welcome thing to her, as she doesn't get much opportunity to touch other too much. "Mm. S'okay." she lifts her shoulders, "I'll make sure you don't end up passed out in some gutter or on the side of the building. I'm sure there is a warm bed somewhere between the two of us that will make a good enough of a recuperation spot?" the girl grins, her fingers wriggling, tapping the tips against the back of his neck. "Mmm.. Well.." she begins, scooting and moving herself so that she can hop herself up to sit on his legs and lap. Harmony likes to be touched, and she isn't afraid to be physical, especially in her less inhibited state. "Usually posers, ones with horrible pick up lines, greasy hair.." she flitters her fingers through his hair lightly, "And no concept of normal." she shrugs, "I've had one guy that actually put his hands on me. ONE.. and only once. I didn't stick around in that relationship."
"Oh, where I sleep doesn't matter too much. I've gotten to the point where I can fall asleep anywhere, don't you worry." The tapping of her fingers gets Seamus' skin to prickle under her touch and he shivers lightly. His palm rubs slowly over the exposed skin at her side. When she slides closer, Seamus sits up and uncrosses his legs, letting her sit astride his lap. That hand on her side loops around her waist fully, and Harmony now has a strong man holding her upright. His body feels hard and sturdy, even as his smile is soft and warm for her. "Oh, those are easy. Y'just need to burst their ego. Pop it with a pin, that is, with a few choice words." At the mention of a guy putting his hands on her, Seamus' gaze falls down to his arm around her waist, and looks up at Harmony in mock worry.
"Uh.." she looks down to where his arm is and smiles, "No. Not like that.." she tells him with a chuckle, "He um.. hit me." the girl says with a half-faced wince. Everything that she has observed about him, she suspects that the news of that wouldn't be taken too lightly. "Not one of my more graceful of moments really. He turned out to be really controlling, and when I wouldn't be controlled, he tried to.. 'correct' me." The girl shakes her head, letting herself rest in his lap. She isn't tense or uncomfortable, she leans against him relaxed, more than happy with the amount of contact they share. "Well.." she rolls her eyes back and forth, "Didn't end well.. for him. I could have used a guy like you, back then. I would have rather the thing that happened to him, didn't happen. Would have been much better if I had a big guy to beat him down instead." the girl wets her lips, "But.. that's over now. Like I said, I only let it happen once, and I as gone." the girl squirms a bit in his lap, but not uncomfortably. "Okay, you feel rather nice." she makes mention, slipping her arms around him, pulling herself closer, just to rest there.
The 'h' word drops the smile from Seamus' face, and his arm around Harmony's waist tightens, just briefly. When she goes on, his expression just grows harder and harder, his jaw setting tightly. "Does he live here in the city?" Because there may be an apartment just begging to be set on fire. When she leans against him, she can feel the tension in his body, though it starts to drain away slowly. Especially hearing that he, hopefully, got his just desserts. His breath blows over her ear before his head turns away, so he can take a long drink of his beer. "If there was any justicein the world, guys like that wouldn't live long enough for their balls to drop."
"No." she shakes her head with her lips pressed together in a purse. "He doesn't live here anymore, not after the accident." Harmony settles against him, reaching with a hand to try to soothe the tension she feels from him, rubbing her fingers against the back of his hand. It is a reality that sorta settles in with her, something she can't really avoid, or keep secret in a situation like this. She sighs, her eyes closed and turning her face to look the other way for a few moments, "See.. the truth is, I've um.. got an ability. As much as I might like to be normal? I kinda can't be. It's sorta put a damper on my love and social life, and I can understand if it even makes /you/ uncomfortable. But I just had to be up front about it, without trying to lead you on." She has to assume that new people she meets are not evolved. It's usually best. Upon explaining, she feels a little uneasy, not sure how he'll react.
Seamus's hand settled on Harmony flexes a little under her touch, and when she looks away, his gaze falls to his beer, still held on the bar by his other hand. But her mention of an Ability snaps his gaze up to Harmony, eyes widening. She may not see it, but dozens of emotions crowd onto his face at once. "You have a…how long've y' had it? How did…how'd you find out?" he asks, his words tumbling quickly out of his mouth in…excitement?
She can hear the rush of his questions, making her give a bit of an emotional wince with the way they spill from his mouth. She half expected him to bolt rather than take an interest. She wasn't prepared for him to respond in that manner, finding it just as difficult to deal with as if he had freaked out the other way. "I've.. had it since I was a teenager. It's been a few years actually, and well.." It appears to be difficult for her, though she is able to bring her blue eyes back up to look at him. "I'm not sure if you followed rock and roll or anything but, my parents were Lily and Steven Roberts, of the band Authentic. There was a horrible plane crash that took their lives years ago.. I.. was on that plane, and it was because of my ability that it crashed. I developed it there, and because of that, my brother and I were the only survivors." Obviously a painful memory for her, and probably a reason she isn't to thrilled about her ability. See, dangerous as a rabbit doesn't fit her.
Seamus's mouth falls open as Harmony gives him her story, falling farther and farther. He blanches in horror when she admits fault, still aghast at her story. "No… No… Really?" He blinks at her in disbelief, unattentive to the Guido jostling up against his back, making him lean more into her. "That was…how? How did it…what was it? Manifest?"
She doesn't notice the Guido knocking into him, though she does notice that Seamus is leaning even closer than before. Harmony isn't the type to blush, even with a few drinks in her like now, "Now.. don't freak out or anything, okay? You're not in any danger. But in a sense? I can.. generate radiation. Various types of radiation, which essentially makes me potentially dangerous if I don't keep my emotions in check. Soooo.. given the fact you haven't high tailed it out of here. Having a big, strong, fighting Irish boy to take up the slack of some stress might be pretty useful." the girl facing him a bit more, her hands resting upon his chest, adjusting his shirt a bit straighter. "If you're not freaked out that is."
And in an instant, excitement turns to fear. Seamus leans back from Harmony, and that Guido cries out in protest when he gets shoved away by Seamus' bulk. The irishman's arm pulls away from her body, and he looks urgently at his hand, as if he were expecting radiation burns. "Wait, like Chernobyl? How…uh, how unchecked do you hafta get b'fore you start…glowing?" Does she glow? It's the only way he can imagine it.
ORDER: It is now your pose.
That is more of the reaction she expected. It is the thing that had kept her hidden away for quite some time. Even now, a withdrawn sensation starts to creep up on her, killing her buzz as she feels his hands slip away from her. She presses her lips together and frowns lightly, moving to slip from his lap into standing, as not to make it any worse, "No.. that is.. I don't know. I don't think it's like that. I've never gotten to anything that bad before." she looks up at him. "Usually I just glow bright when I get scared. But I /can/ control it. That time on the plan was the first time my ability showed itself, and it was the only time that I radiated hot. Since then, I really haven't.. really. You're not in any danger.." As if she could assure him.
She doesn't get to slip off his lip, though, as when she starts to move, Seamus loops his arms around her waist, pulling her up close to him again. He's just radiating guilt now, right alongside that fear, and he has to take a big swallow before he can talk. "Ah w-well…you let me know if you ever feel like you're gonna be "hot", okay?" Slowly, one corner of his mouth curls up in an uncertain half-smile. "M-more hot than y' already are, that is."
It does surprise her when he doesn't let her go. At this point, she expected him to find an excuse to scoot to the other side of the bar, rather than pull her closer. Though she can hear the hesitant fear in his voice. Though she does grow a slow smile across her face as she looks at him, "I'm not gonna give you cancer or melt your face off or anything." she promises, lifting a finger and using it to tap the side of his face, running it down his jawline. "Actually.. what ended up happening to the guy I was talking about is.. he got scared. When he hit me I sorta.. flashed him. It was a bright flash of light I created, and he got spooked, ran out in a hurry.. hit by a car.." she nods, feeling a little embarrassed for the first time in quite a while. "Come on.. you're a tough guy, Seamus. You should bring back that bravado you had a few minute ago. I liked that better." she leans in, laying her forehead against his.
"Well, I'll be forwarding my next doctor's visit results to you anyways, just in case." Seamus flinches as she brings her hand up…glances at that fingertip, and just smiles sheepishly, starting to force himself to relax. He doesn't even blink as she runs her finger down his cheek, along his strong jawline. "Alright, lesson noted. Don't hit ya. It'll only make things worse." His brown eyes fix on hers, watching intently as Harmony leans in, and he tilts his face forward to lightly brush his nose against hers. His confidence is returning, after that brief scare. Well, he hasn't mutated yet. A little more of holding this girl can't hurt. "Gimme a bit, lass. Y' almost made me shite myself. Tell me…how'd y' deal with findin' out y' had Abilities? Aside from the whole dead parents thing."
"Hmm.. Well maybe I can put your mind at ease a bit. No radiation right now. I'm just Harmony at the moment." she takes in a deep breath through her nose, letting her hands slide up the the front of his chest, and then dangle over his shoulders. "And if it feels this good to be in your arms all the time, I'm sure I'll stay that way." Her nose softly brushing back and forth against his, her bright blue eyes gazing into him. "If you're still not sure, you could kiss me and find out." the girl gives a small grin. "Well.. I didn't handle it too well. I sorta hid away for a bit, I've been afraid of what could happen. But someone told me something that made sense. My powers are no different than if anyone else were holding the button to a reactor or a bomb. I'm responsible enough, and I can control it if I try. The up side is.. other radiation doesn't effect me. There is a guy that is going to have me help clean up some of the fallout in places across the city."
"Harmony. Right…" Seamus grins at the nose rubbing, his eyes closing briefly as he takes in the scent of the girl in his lap. She can smell his musky cologne, and the faint smell of sweat and bar soap lying underneath it all. At the mention of kissing her, his eyes slit open and he wraps up a small handful of her shirt in his hand. "Let's save that for later," he says, eyes glittering for a moment in anticipation. Her words about a bomb don't seem to do him any favors, and his smile falls for a moment to be replaced with worry. He turns his face away from hers, and starts to down his whole glass of Guinness, in chug after chug after chug….
"Okay, okay.." she gives her eyes a roll, "Bad example.. I'm sorry." Harmony bites her bottom lip, using her hands to turn his face back to look at her. "Let's just not think about abilities or bombs or anything dangerous, and lets get back to working up to a kiss. You believe in first dates, right? Of course, this wouldn't count as one, so I guess you'll have to take me someplace nice, hm?" she raises her brows. Her hands come to rest down at his sides, and she softly lifts the lip of his shirt at the bottom, so she can caress the fingertips of her index fingers against his skin underneath.
A little beer spills down his chin as Harmony pulls his head back, only half a mouthful left in the glass. His cheeks chipmunked out, Seamus gives Harmony a hesitant smile before swallowing that last mouthful of beer. He sighs…and again when she starts to run her fingers up under his shirt, finding his skin stretched tight over muscle beneath. He glances down, right into that low-cut top she has, and the Irishman is smiling again. "Let's…get to someplace a little more private first," Seamus says with a sheepish grin, that bravado still missing from his voice as he meets Harmony's blues once more. "My place?" he offers.
The display of his cheeks being swollen out, filled with beer makes her chuckle, "Cute.." she comments, "But I'm discovering a lot of things about you are. You've made a pretty good impression so far. I'm pretty willing to see where things go." Harmony lifts her brows and smiles, just slowly tracing the fingers of her good hand over his exposed skin. "Your place?" she smirks, "Hm.. I might be game for that. I hardly thing here at the bar is the place to get to know each other a bit better. It's sorta noisy, and people keep bumping into you."
Seamus glances around, chuckling at Harmony's summary. "Which is good if you like being inadvertently groped, I s'pose. But…" He takes a slow breath, his stomach pressing into her straying finger. "Seems y' prefer th' more intentional groping, huh?" Not that he's complaining. With a grin, he ushers Harmony off his lap, standing and finally letting go of the blonde, to fish out his wallet and toss a few bills on the bar. Standing up, he's towering over the blonde once more, but the gentle bruiser gives Harmony a courteous bow, gesturing through the crowd and towards the front door. "Beauty b'fore age…"
"Well.. if it's coming from you? I could see how I wouldn't complain too much." For the time, she adjusts herself upon his lap, finally leaving him alone at his stomach and slipping his shirt back down, sorta clearing her throat. For the time, she leans into him, taking a deep breath and giving a sigh, "Yeah. Your place.." she reiterates, letting herself slip down off of his lap into standing. Obviously shorter than he is, but more than happy to let him lead her to the door, "Why thank you." she smiles, following.
Wrapping an arm around Harmony is as easy for Seamus as just draping an arm over her shoulder, pulling her back against him with his hand laying heavily against her belly, fingers curling slightly against her. The crowds part like snow to a plow would Seamus' outstretched arm pushing the oblivious and drunk out of their way, clearing directly to the front door. Wait, isn't it curfew?
There are no taxis on the street as the two of them march their way to Seamus' place, and they arrive at the front door of Miss Aphrodisia's with Seamus' coat draped about Harmony's shoulders. He holds the door open for her, stepping in out of the cool wind, and locking it behind him. Within, the shop is a ghosttown of passed decades: Vintage dresses, tailored suits, furniture that looks to have more scratches in the laquer than dollar value. The worthlessly obsolete and the priceless antiques, side-by-side and sometimes indistinguishable.
"Just go around th' front counter," Seamus says as he fumbles with his keys, trying to force the sticky lock closed, "There's stairs going up to the top floor. They should be unlocked."
She could easily disappear against him with him being as tall and broad as he is, while she resides within the wrap of his arm, passing through the crowds and various people. The fact that it is curfew doesn't really seem to even register with her, or it just doesn't seem to matter, as she is with him, which is somehow comforting enough. It's cold outside for her as well, which is another sign that indicates that she doesn't have any radiation going. She would be warmer if that were the case. But she has his jacket, so it isn't so bad. Stepping into the offered door, she smiles and shivers off the chill of the cold air, shrugging out of the jacket and taking a look around at the shop. "Around here?" she points as she heads around the counter, finding the stairs and ascending to the top.
"That's the one!" comes Seamus' reply, sounding distant and tinny in the narrow, enclosed stairway rising up above the shop. There's no light there, save for a dim orange ambient glow that's coming through the crack at the bottom of the door, at the top. This portal swings open at a touch, and a modest loft apartment, lit only by the street lights outside the windows, opens up to her view. Behind her is the sound of Seamus' heavy footsteps ascending the stairs.
For a moment, she holds up her fingers as she steps into the darkened area. She is just about to turn on a light by casting a bit of illumination from her fingers, though she remembers the events of the evening and thinks better of it at the time. For now she just pushes on through the darkness until she comes to the door, pushing it open into the apartment. She smiles a bit as she takes it in, wandering to inspect the simple space, "I had you sorta pegged for an uncomplicated guy." she calls loud enough for him, heading him come from behind.
Seamus's deep chuckle breaks the silence in the room, and with a click and a light buzz, the room blooms with light from the fixture above. "Well, don't believe everythin' y' see. Your eyes can play tricks on ya," he says, closing the door behind him, lingering there to watch Harmony move around for a bit. His arms fold over his chest, amused at the way she seems to almost be drowning in his coat.
As Harmony wanders about the room, she'll notice that even though the apartment itself is simple in its design, the space is filled with stuff. Just random knick-knacks, mostly, almost seeming to be an extension of the shop floor below. The kitchen sink is a mess, though the rest of it is kept surprisingly clean, despite the clutter. And both bedrooms, visible from the living room, seem to be well used.
While it's true, she is quite swallowed by his jacket, it was the one thing that kept her warm enough to not be frozen on the way over. The presence of the light is enough to pique her curiosity further, taking in the sights and general appearance of the apartment. "Heh, really now? So.. you're not really a gentleman then? Because so far, that's what I've seen. Unless.. you're only pretending after all." she grins and raises a teasing brow towards him. Her tongue dips and wets her lips, before she smirks and turns to look at the kitchen, "You need to clean a bit.. We'll work on that later, for now.." the girl wandering over and standing in the living room, "You should come here and keep me warm."
Seamus grins mightily as Harmony looks back over, and his eyebrows tick up for a moment from seeing the lick of her lips. He pushes off from the doorway, lumbering over in a slow trot towards her. "Harmony…I have a confession to make. My intentions for inviting you here weren't entirely impure." He reaches out, taking hold of her hands, giving them a squeeze. And he starts to tug her towards one of the bedrooms. He's looking nervous now, glancing over his shoulder at the doorway.
Harmony's head tilts to one side a little as he speaks, her curly blond hair falling to roll down one shoulder, her face questioning to the nature of his words. "Were, or.. weren't?" she asks him, her hands resting in his, arms raising as he starts to guide her. She starts to follow after a second, looking at the nervous expression on his face and smirking. To ease him, she steps forward a bit faster, so that she can bring the front of herself to press against him just a bit while she walks, "So.. just what were your intentions then?" she asks.
"Were," Seamus reiterates, and when they pass into the bedroom, he stops her before extracting his hands from hers, turning and heading over to the nightstand. He starts to rummage through the drawers there, muttering to himself.
Now that she's actually in the room, Harmony may notice that this isn't the typical bedroom of a bachelor. Judging from the dresses and outfits hanging in the open closet, the makeup on the dresser, the pictures of Seamus and a redheaded girl in a few of the frames on the nightstand…this probably isn't his room.
After a few moments, Seamus grunts in triumph, and comes away from the nightstand with a piece of paper in his hand. On that paper are four cardboard squares, each looking to have been dyed a deep crimson. "This…is probably not a good time to dump this on you. But I found this on my sister's bed, last Tuesday." He holds out the used SLC test kit to Harmony. "I haven't seen her since."
Still a bit curious as to what he might be doing, Harmony's slight neurotic tendencies start to click in. She halfway worries that he might be intending to harm her perhaps, as she takes a look to discover that the room she is in seems to belong to someone of the female persuasion. Though she still follows along, standing there when he comes to pull away and go search for something, her arms sliding around herself, feeling a little odd being in this room. She chews on her bottom lip, moving from side to side idly at the hips, watching him. As he comes back, carrying the kit, she freezes, looking confused, "Um.. you mean.. she's gone? Your sister? Do you think.. maybe she took the test and ran when she saw the results? I mean.. is there something you wanted me to do about it?"
"I…I don't know. Did she? Is that something that happens? Do Evolved want to run away after they manifest? Like birds leaving the nest? Does she…would you have run away from y' mum an' da?" Seamus looks to Harmony now, brows knitted…and suddenly, the big man looks helpless. Scared. He holds out the kit, like a child holding out a piece of fine china they'd just broken. It's offered to her with that quiet, begging hope: Can you fix it?
She can certainly sense the distress and confusion in his voice as he explains. "Oh.. Seamus.." she sympathizes, taking a few steps to bring her across the way, and closes the gap. Her hands reach out and she wraps hers over his and the kit, "It's alright. She probably just needs some time to sort things out. Finding out you have an ability changes everything about your life. Not everyone is as kind to Evolved. It weighs on you. It's almost like finding out you have some kind of disorder that will forever alter the way you live your life, and there isn't anything you can do to change it. It takes some getting used to, and usually some alone time to get the hang of it." She does feel sorry for him, especially with the way he looked at her. "It'll be okay.." she says, reaching up to bring her fingers to his cheek, her hand warm at being inside for some time.
Seamus's lips press together, that worry in his brown eyes unwavering, even as she brings a hand up to his cheek. He looks down at the kit in his hands, holding it delicately and not touching those pads. "I just dun get it…why would she leave me? We've been through…we're closer than… it doesn't make any sense!" His voice cracks on that last syllable and his jaw snaps shut, eyes closing and head tilting down. Quietly, he presses his hand against hers on his cheek giving it a hard, almost painful squeeze. "Now if this ain't the most exciting night y've ever had, huh?"
His cheek is rough from his five o'clock shadow, chilled a little from the outside, though warming quickly under her fingers. Almost imperceptibly, he presses into her touch.
Harmony knows the pain of this situation, and just what it can do to your relationships, no matter how close you are. "Time, Seamus.." she speaks in a low, soothing voice, "She needs time. Manifesting an ability is a frightning thing. Initially, you find yourself really difficult to control what your ability is. And depending on what she developed into.. she could be staying away to keep you from getting hurt. I didn't have the chance to do that. My ability killed my parents the moment I manifested it. Maybe she avoided hurting others around her. I don't have the answers, but it sounds like the most likely possibility. Don't give up looking for her, but don't break down either." the girl showing concern from her bright eyes, "Hey.." she reaches and moves to take a seat on the bed, pulling him along, "C'mere.." she pulls him close, just to rest his head against her where she can just hold him, stroking her hand through his hair. "It'll be okay.."
Seamus is slowly starting to realize the situation he's in. A grown man, starting to break down in the presence of a complete stranger. He works hard to swallow that lump in his throat, jaw tight enough that his teeth are in danger of cracking. He avoids her eyes, but also takes a seat on Lexi's bed beside her, head falling to rest his cheek on Harmony's shoulder, blinking slowly. "How do you deal with it?" he asks in a low rumble, trying not to put all his weight against the blonde, "Knowing you c'n hurt everyone you love?" He's just a bundled up knot of tension and emotion right now.
The question is rather heavy to her, weight upon her more than his actual physical weight. "I'm still trying to figure that out.." she responds. "But I bet you it's the same feeling your sister had. It took me some time before I was ready to let myself be around other people." It is a bit of an odd scene. Here she has this big guy, breaking down into a heap of stress and almost into tears before her. "I'm just sorta glad I ran into you. I thought for sure you'd run away." her hand comes to rest over the back of his, sliding her fingers to lace and interlock with his. "But here you are.. baring your soul."
Seamus tightens his fingers around hers, silently staring at the floor between their knees, the whole world tilted sideways in his perspective. Silently, he makes a promise…
He starts to lift his head off her shoulder, sniffing and rubbing the back of his hand against his nose, a powerful smile plastering itself on his face. "Don't get used to it, lass," he says, injecting that bravado bit by bit back into him, "Seamus Lane c'n take care o' himself. But… Thank you. Really." He gives her hand a squeeze, smiling down at Harmony, eyes drifting down from hers to her lips. "How about I get us summore drinks, yeah? Keep th' buzz goin'."
She almost saw him cry, though she doesn't look as if she is put off by the notion of the big guy letting it out. "I know you can." she assures him, giving him a pat with her free hand, which is the bad one, but she hasn't given that much though at the moment. "That is, I'm pretty sure that you can. No one is as big as you are, and not be able to take care of themselves." From the sound of it, she doesn't sound like she is ready to knock back the drinks again, "I think we've hit our limit for the night. I believe what you need is just a good nights sleep, and a warm shoulder to lay against. We can start drinking again in the morning." the girl grins, "But first.." again with the low tones, she turns her face to look into his. The girl brings herself in closer, till their noses touch, sharing breath while her lips draw in and finally come to press to his. She kisses him, innocently enough, tasting of his lips in a slow, lingering moment. It's simple and single before she draws her lips back, "Been wanting to do that all night."
"Y're makin' me sound like some huge, musclebound knucklehead. Head full of rocks, so I don't have any brain to hurt?" Seamus says with a grin, knocking briefly on his own skull. When she denies more drinks, he frowns and looks about to protest. But then she has a significant look turned up to him, and his eyebrows shoot up. His lips part when her nose brushes his, the musk of brew on his breath mingling with the sweet zest of her cherry whiskey sours, and the pheromones that spice the air between them.
His lips don't move when she first kisses him, and he blinks at the touch from the blonde, as if unsure what to do in response now. It doesn't take more than a moment for him to remember, though, and with a low, relenting sigh, he returns that kiss for just the slightest moment before she's pulling away.
Harmony can watch Seamus' eyes open, his brown irises having grown darker as he looks down at her. A hand brushes her hair off her cheek before he's leaning towards her again, murmuring, "Was it worth it?" as he slips an arm around her back, and under her knees. Almost effortlessly, she's hefted into the air in the Irishman's arms, as he carries her out of his sister's bedroom, and around the corner to his own.
His words echoing in her ears, as the tone of his voice and the various scents left upon them from the evening, combat her senses, making her head just a bit lighter than if she had just had another drink. The touch of his lips to hers is more exciting than she could have initially expected. She almost didn't want to break, though she thought that a simple kiss was what was best.
"Every second.." she answers him, smiling and keeping herself as close to him as she can. Within moments, she finds herself slipped from the bed, and hoisted up into the air, reaching to hang her arms a the back of his neck to support herself. The girl gives a small chuckle, the smallest of red twinges coming to her cheeks while she hands her weight over to him, being carried along. "I don't think you're a knucklehead. I think you're one of a kind, Seamus Lane.." she can't simply leave his lips alone, leaning to take yet another kiss along the way.