Do You Waltz?

Participants:

adam_icon.gif odessa2_icon.gif

Scene Title Do You Waltz?
Synopsis Adam checks up on Odessa only to find her battling her ghosts by relying on her demons.
Date September 19, 2009

Fort Greene - #404

Description forthcoming.


When one hears music blaring through the walls of an apartment, it's typically not a waltz by Shostakovich. Then again, the woman living in apartment 404 isn't what many would describe as typical anyway. Inside, Odessa Knutson dances solo about her living room with an invisible partner, laughing and chiding him for tripping her up as she stumbles over her own feet. The furniture has been pushed back to the walls to give her plenty of room to manoeuvre.

"I never knew you were such a marvellous dancer!" The invisible man gives no response to the compliment. "I know, I know," she admits grudgingly, "I'm a little off my game tonight, but you'll just have to forgive me. Tell you what! I will go freshen up my wine," as she twirls, she inclines her head toward the kitchen counter, where a bottle of something called Strawberry Jam from LSL Winery sits in a bucket of ice, waiting to be further drained, "and you," she draws out as she points to where her dance partner's chest should be, "can go do whatever it is you British men do when your women have wandered off!"

Dark hair sways about Odessa's face as she staggers artlessly over to the kitchen, heels clomping about noisily on the floor. "Yeah, that's right," she calls back over her shoulder to the man who isn't there, plucking up her empty glass and refilling it with the sweet, white wine. "Why don't you just go back to your other woman?! What is it? Is it because she's younger? More experienced? That little tramp. Just go back to her! I don't even care!" Half the glass is drained in one smooth gulp. She goes back for a refill. "And another thing! You weren't even as good a kisser as-" In the middle of repeatedly jabbing a very accusatory finger, as though it would prove the point, at her imaginary lover, Odessa suddenly stops and sinks back against the kitchen sink and the cabinetry there. "Who am I talking to?" she asks herself, taking another long drink of wine. She presses the back of her empty hand to her nose, sniffling once before reaching up to wipe at the unshed tears in her eyes. "Damn," she mutters into her glass, eyes flickering to the darkened hall leading to her bedroom. "Why did you have to go and leave me that way?"

So, Adam actually came in during the dance. The music was too loud to hear his knocking and he just has a key anyway. But then came the argument with…whoever it is she's arguing with, which slowly becomes apparent as she really gives it to Mr. Invisible. His lips purse a moment as he quietly waits by the door, there's certainly supposed to be a decorum to this sort of thing, but he's not really clear on what it is. There is only one thing he is sure of, and this he says out loud, "I most certainly am a good kisser."

Hey! That voice totally does not belong to the Brit she was shouting at. Or… maybe it does? Either way, a startled Odessa jerks her glass upward and sends strawberry-coloured liquid splashing onto her chest and down the front of her little black dress. "Holy shit! You shouldn't sneak up on a girl like that!" Blue eyes shoot a dirty look to the shadows for no reason that's readily apparent to anyone but her.

"Shoot…" Odessa sets her glass aside and reaches for a roll of paper towels, tearing off three or four and wadding them up to start soaking some of the wine from her skin and clothing. "You scared the life out of me." One hand gropes for a remote which she uses to turn down the stereo. "Sorry… I suppose I didn't hear you knock."

Adam mms, "Apparently you didn't." he says in the affirmative of the reply. He purses his lips a moment and says, "Well…you might want to keep the music down. I don't own the building, if people complain, it could cause problems." he walks slowly towards the middle of the room and sits down in, what he might think of his armchair, "But, it would appear you already have problems." he frowns, "I think I'm starting to think that perhaps I shouldn't have kissed you. I wasn't looking to cause problems."

Odessa stares at Adam for a moment, completely not understanding what he's getting at. But then it occurs to the woman how long he must have been standing there in the doorway before he actually said something and she brings one hand up to cover her mouth as she unsuccessfully attempts to stifle a laugh. "Oh! None of that was directed at you, Adam. You haven't created any problems." She has to laugh, really she does. It's just so funny.

And she is just so drunk. "Do you want some wine?" Satisfied that she's mopped up all the wine she's going to, she throws away the paper towels and tops off her glass once more. "Because I've got, like, plenty. And this stuff is," one hand raises in the air and comes down in a sort of limp-wristed gesture to prove just how much she means what she's saying, "fantastic!"

Adam arches a brow for a moment at that. He pauses a bit, there's a bit of a deflating when she tells him it's not about him. But then, he thinks a bit as he plays it back in his head. The bedroom. They hadn't, done that yet. "No, no thank you." he pauses a bit. Well, if not him, then who? And how odd the situation seems so much the same, "Is this about the man who.." he holds a finger to his neck, indicating something being shoved all up in there.

Odessa nods her head quickly, drowning that thought with more wine. She cups the glass in both hands and finds herself quickly changing the subject. "Say, I met the cutest girl over at Biddy Flannigan's tonight. Aaaand it seems that you know her, too! She says you kind'a grounded her." One bubble gum pink heel in front of the other, Odessa makes her way over to the armchair where Adam sits, coming to stand before him. Feet shoulder-width apart, she adopts a I Am Totally In Charge Here stance and switches her glass to her left hand so that she can reach out to poke the man in the nose with the forefinger of her right. "And I intend to make her my new best friend, so you totally need to relax her hours," her demand is slurred.

Adam watches Odessa for a few moments as he looks thoughtfully at her and her drunken state. He pauses and says, "When I relax her hours, she gets into trouble. Frankly, I'm not sure you wouldn't somehow encourage that." he considers her a few moments, "Do you think, perhaps, you might not have had to much to drink?" he questions, "You seem to be a bit…tipsy."

"That is totally not the point I am trying to make here," Odessa argues rather articulately. (Not.) She puts her hand on her hip and squints down at Adam, taking another sip. "I'm serious. You need to relax her hours. I will do my best to keep her out of trouble. Could you just… Just, please, do this for me?" The slur is still there, but there's more sincerity than one might suspect from somone as drunk as Odessa is right now.

"It's an unusual request." he says, "For someone's who's trying to keep their head low." he pauses for a moment and says, "Why do you want me to relax her hours?" he leans in a moment, "Given all the issues you need to work out, it seems odd to me that you want to get involved with Kaylee's issues."

"It's not about issues," Odessa insists. "I want a friend, okay? I don't have any friends. Any. En-ee." She holds up one hand to indicate 'zero.' "She's a really sweet girl and she's nice to me. And… And she's like us." Us, in this case, meaning Evolved. She squeezes her eyes shut as though it might help her come up with a better reason as to why Kaylee's hours should be relaxed. "And besides…" She opens her eyes and takes in a deep breath before rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. "And besides, she's battling a nasty cold right now and she needs her rest. Which she can't do if she's working all the time. She just needs a little time off. That's all."

Adam considers Odessa and her various reasons. He appears to remain suspicious, especially when she won't meet his eyes when she talks about the cold, but then says, "Alright." he says, "I'll give her some time." there's a nuanced bit of a but there that he doesn't vocalize, however, she might not recognize it in her state. For the moment, all he does is acquiese to her desire. Then he says, "And what do you plan to do now?"

"Now? Like right now, now?" Odessa's eyes lower back toward Adam and she peers at him quizzically. She fills the gap of silence signifying her thinking with another drink of wine.

Adam shakes his head, "No, I don't mean right now, I mean in general." he considers her for a few moments, "You've got a new place, a new home. At the moment, I don't really have any work for you. You're hiding from the Company. What do you plan to do?"

"Take it day by day, I s'pose," she admits with a half shrug. "I've never had much stability since I walked away from the Company. I'm never quite sure what to do with it, you know? I'm good at being uncomfortable." The glass is brought once again to Odessa's lips, but this time she doesn't drink. Instead, she walks back toward the kitchen to set it on the counter, only one-quarter full. "I'm sure you'll have work for me soon. I know I'll earn my keep."

This whole line of conversation is just far too heavy and full of importance for Odessa's liking at the moment, so she pointedly moves things in a decidedly different direction by turning back to Adam and posing a question to him: "Do you waltz?"

Adam chuckles a bit at the question, "Yes." he says, "Of course I waltz." does he waltz, it strikes him as a bit of a ridiculous question. He's a wonderful dancer. But he seems to take it as a subtle hint and stands quietly from his seat and then says, "Do you wish to dance?" he questions.

"I thought you would never ask," Odessa confesses with a backward tip of her head. She cues up the waltz that was playing when Adam discovered her ranting and turns the volume up to a listenable level before crossing back to the living area. "It's been ages since I've had a partner. You'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit clumsy in my current state." But a man of Adam's years has surely attempted to waltz with women far more drunk than she.

Adam nods a bit and takes her in his arms, one hand taking hers, the other at her waist. And with that, he begins to lead her in the waltz. He is an impeccable dancer and he seems able to compensate for her drunkenness and rustiness rather easily. In fact, he seems to be able to make her seem better as a dancer with her moves. "I'll admit, I really hadn't waltzed in quite some time."

"I think it's probably my favourite dance of all time," the woman professes emphatically. "Of course, it is one of the few I actually know how to do." She giggles, giddy as he spins her around the floor. "I'm sure you'd seen me dance down the halls…" She shakes her head and rolls her eyes with a wide grin at a memory that comes to her, "Do you know, Eric Doyle once tried to convince me to let him out of his cell so that we could dance together? Isn't that just…" The laughter fades as the thought trails off. Still, Odessa flashes a smile. I'm okay.

Adam mms, "Eric Doyle would do just about anything to get his way. He's a bit of a man child, that one." he turns Odessa for a moment and then pauses as the song fades. He stops the dance and steps back, bowing to her as might be considered traditional, "It was a lovely dance, Odessa." he says.

He bows, and Odessa blushes, bobbing a quick curtsey. "It was," she agrees. She glances over to the clock. "It's late," she murmurs. Usually, that's an indication that a lady would like her gentleman caller to leave her home. Instead, Odessa asks, "Will you stay the night?"

Adam arches a brow for a moment, "Well, if you're just asking me to keep you company, I suppose I can…" he pauses, "If you're…thinking some other thing, I think it'd be better to wait until you were…in possession of all your faculties. Times have changed, people get upset at that sort of thing nowadays."

"And they never did before," Odessa asks with genuine curiosity. "It's okay. I just don't want to be alone, you know? With my thoughts." They did seem to be rather bothersome earlier. "I…" She reaches out and absently smooths out a wrinkle in his shirt. "You're very sweet. Doing all of this for me…"

Adam reaches up and brushes some of her hair back from her face and says, "Well." he says, "I said I'd take care of you, didn't I?" he questions. He pauses for a few moments and then says, "I suppose you should get ready for bed, or whatever it is you do."

"Not sleepy," Odessa insists. She leans up to press a soft, and decidedly chaste kiss on Adam's lips. Stepping away after, eyes half lidded, she murmurs an apology. "Tell me something true."

Adam hmms, tell her something true. That's always a bit hard for Adam. He always say things that are true, they're just…always a little false too. So, he settles for something rather innocuous, but true nonetheless, "I am awful at horseshoes. Can't ring that thing to save my life."

Bright and cheerful laughter escapes Odessa's lips, surprised by his answer. Perhaps even surprised by the honesty of it more than the absurdity. "Can I… Ask you some things?" She lets the amusement fade, though she can't seem quite as somber as she would like in her drunken haze. She steps back toward the kitchen, plucking up the bottle of wine and placing an ornate glass stopper in it before tucking it away in the near barren refrigerator. "It's… About the Company."

Adam pauses for a moment as she turns the topic to the Company. He frowns a moment and then sits down in his armchair and says, "Alright." he says, "I'll see what I can answer." he says.

Odessa drains what remained of the wine in her glass, swallowing it down like courage. She slides off her shoes, tossing them gently toward the frotn door. "Let me think about what I want to say," she says softly. "Feel free to, uhm…" She leaves the thought unfinished and pads off to the bedroom. Light floods the hallway before she closes the door behind her to dress for bed.

There's the quiet sounds of dresser drawers opening and shutting, a closet being rummaged through. The whisper of fabric as it slides over skin. Odessa doesn't re-emerge from the bedroom, and when Adam moves to check on her, he finds her half off the bed, where she had been seated to slide her feet into her slippers, but instead succumbed to the alcohol in her system and laid back to close her eyes just for a moment. She does not wake when he pulls back the covers and lays her down, or when he turns off the light and shuts the door behind him when he moves out to sleep on the couch.


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