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Scene Title | Identity Crises |
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Synopsis | Sonny-as-Kinney comes clean about things, while Sacha is so upset he uses a contraction. |
Date | May 18, 2009 |
A nondescript jewelry store.
The jeweler's where Sacha works is a small, modest sort of place - certainly nice, but nothing overly special. One half of the small building is dedicated to men's fineries - watches, rings, cufflinks and the like - while the other houses the womens' jewelry. Very convenient. At any given time there is generally only one clerk in the shop, and today, naturally, Sacha is keeping house behind a counter. With no customers in at the moment, he is occupying himself with cleaning off the glass display cases with a small spray bottle of cleaner and a clean cloth. He's dressed quite a bit more formally than an acquaintance would be used to, but it is unmistakeably everyone's favorite Frenchman.
The door has a fancy bell to signal new arrivals.
This visit is long since overdue. But given the fact that Sonny - Sal, Kinney, whatever. His life has been turned upside down lately, he could use a friend. And even though their encounters have been brief and was some time ago, he does consider Sacha a friend. And one that deserves some answers if he's heard about the whole identity fiasco.
So, as Connor Kinney perhaps one last time, the doc pushes open the door to the jewelers and steps inside. A quick glance around and then to the counter. There's a small grin and a nod. "Hey."
At the sound of the bell, Sacha sets aside the spray bottle, wipes the counter clean quicklike, and looks up at the new arrival — then blinks a bit, head jerking to one side with surprise and confusion. "Ah.. good afternoon." He frowns a bit, not unkindly but out of confusion, and lifts a hand to rub the back of his neck. "I am not entirely certain what it means that you are here. I heard things…" His frown deepens a bit. "How can I help you?" He's not being cold; he's just genuinely surprised at the situation.
"Hey, Sacha. I…" Sonny gives a bit of a sheepish grin and puts a hand to the back of his neck. "…I thought I owed you an explanation. Can we talk somewhere, in private?" He glances back over his shoulder at the door and steps further inwards. "M'sorry I haven't talked to you lately. Things've been…well. Pretty damn complicated."
Sacha nods briefly, glancing at the door himself. "Oui, I think that would help things." Striding behind the counters, checking that everything is locked as he goes, he makes his way to the door and locks that as well, checks the time, and flips over a 'Closed: Back at xx:xx' sign. Lights in the front are turned off, though with the daylight it's still easy enough to see inside, and he gestures towards the back, leading Connor to a small office where he shuts the door. "The owner is not in today, so we should be alright to talk for a bit." And he sits in a small chair, gesturing for his guest to do the same.
The man who has been calling himself Connor looks grateful for the effort Sacha makes to preserve privacy. He sits down in the offered chair and purses his lips. "I'll start by saying that what you heard is…is true. My real name is Sonny Bianco. I am the Mayor's son. I've been assuming this identity for…well, a lot of reasons. But one of them is so that I could be with my boyfriend."
His grin is more awkward than it is a real grin. "My father already has an Evolved for a son. I don't know if his career could take his son being gay too."
Sacha lowers his head a bit, resting it in one hand for a moment and letting out a sigh. "You do get to the point." A small smile there, though it fades a bit quickly. "I under.." and there he stops, mid-sentence. "So you can change how you look? I had heard that you could change things like that, but…" A shrug. "Not that it matters. I think I am not certain why.. I understand that you did not mean to deceive me, but I think I am not sure why you are telling me all of this."
"Because I thought you might have heard. And I thought you deserved an explanation. You've…" Sonny hesitates. "You've been a friend to me, Sacha. I don't have many friends. It's usually too much pressure to be friends with the mayor's kid. And false identities, well…it requires a lot of lying. Which is part of the reason I didn't seek you out again. You talk a lot about honesty. And I did a lot of lying to you."
He leans back in the seat and puffs out his cheeks. "I wanted to apologise. Wanted to see if we could still be friends."
That does elicit a slightly warmer smile from the Frenchman. "To be fair, you were having problems with a dishonest boyfriend, non?" He sighs, leans back, though he does seem a bit less upset now. "I cannot say that this is a situation I know how to deal with. It is all very.. I suppose life would be simpler if not for 'Evolved'." He thinks the matter over for a long moment, finally offering a compromise, "I think this is a good time to ask something that has been bothering me. Your boyfriend.. what is his name?"
Sal purses his lips. He wants to tell Sacha the answer to that question, that much is obvious by the way his face contorts. "He's not out, Sacha. I don't know that it's my place to tell you that." Teo might not have any problems with people knowing he sleeps with men, but that he's been dating the mayor's kid? That's a little bit more damning for a terrorist. From both sides of the fence.
Sacha seems about to question the wording, but winces at the second half of the response, however warranted it may be. He bites his lip, shakes his head briefly and grips the arm of his chair. "Please," he says, his tone almost desperate. "This is such a large city.. I probably do not know him. I only need to know for sure. I know it is a lot for me to ask, but I would never do anything to hurt him for being with you."
"It sounds like you have a guess," says Sonny. His tone is a little tight, a little awkward. How could he possibly guess, if that is the case? He looks Sacha in the eye. There's a weird fluttering in the pit of his stomach. It's hard to have so many secrets.
Sacha himself seems just as unwilling to actually give a name as Sonny does, though for rather different reasons. "I.." He closes his eyes, pinches the bridge of his nose, and finally lets out a string of French curses. "It just seems like somewhat of a… a 'longshot', is the word? But.. I have a friend who since the first time you spoke of your boy I was reminded of. I think I do not like to think he is the way you have described him, but I do not know him as well as.." He shakes his head. "Is his name Teodoro?" Pronounced correctly. "Teo?" And incorrectly.
Sal's jaw clenches and all the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. It's easy to tell from the way his face blanches that Sacha's hit the nail on the head. How? He doesn't nod, or say yes. But he also doesn't say 'no, that's not him.' He looks up, catches Sacha's eye for a moment, then looks away again. Then he asks, "How do you know him?"
More French swearing as it's made clear that Sacha's figured it out; out of all the people in the city, somehow he manages to get involved in this relationship. Once he finishes letting out that bout of anger - though who it's directed at is hard to tell - he shakes his head, sighs, and looks towards the floor. His face is a bit flushed, and his answer is in a quiet tone. "Do you truly want an answer to that?" He takes in a deep breath and raises his voice a bit to continue, "I never was with him after I met you. I.. I think I knew, then. I really have only seen him two or three times since, in any case." After a silent pause, he adds, "I think I want to throw up." The guilt is palpable, and he isn't even Catholic.
Sal isn't really sure how to take that. A hand goes to his head, through his hair. He makes a face, shifts, and avoids looking up at Sacha at all for a good few moments. Well. Teo got around. And so very coincidental that he was tempted to go home with someone his boyfriend already had been.
"Don't…" he exhales slowly. "…we weren't exclusive. For a long time. I knew he was sleeping with other people. He wouldn't come home some nights, or he'd come home…smelling like someone else's soap. But he never promised me then that we were exclusive." A pause, then, "As far as I know there was only one time he actually…cheated."
Sacha shakes his head, frowning. "I still… I do not like that he kept it from me. I did not ask, I admit, but.. when I met him first, we were both at a club, he was alone.. he should have said something." Letting out a long sigh, he leans forward, running a hand through his hair and brushing at it idly. Looks like this is going to be a long lunch break. "If he had said something.. I have been with married women before, so I am not saying I would not have been with him, but I would like to have known."
This is not the best time for this all to come out. It opens up old wounds for Sonny that were starting to heal over. "He probably didn't think it mattered," he says quietly. "Or he didn't want to feel guilty for being with you. Don't be angry at him for that."
He rubs his cheek. "Things with Teo," Tay-o, "…and I have been kind of rocky, in general. I don't blame him for anyone he was with before I asked him to commit. And I don't blame you either." A small smile appears. "You have good taste."
Sacha manages a faint smile at that. "I am starting to wonder. But still… I am not comfortable with all of this." He lowers his head. "I will have to speak with him, I think." He takes in another deep breath, rubs the back of his neck, and abruptly sits upright. "But I suppose there is no point in dwelling."
"I am also Evolved," he derails, bluntly. "Teo knows." Tay-o. "He tried to help me with it, I think. I know he was worried, I flirted somewhat with a friend of his who turned out to be with the government, and he stopped that in case anything would happen. I… have troubles controlling myself."
"Ah, I…don't want him to think I've told. I know he doesn't really…" Sonny stops. "I'm…well, I'm taking on an identity full-time. To be with him. But also to get away from the pressures of my life for awhile. I've been playing the politics game for so long. And well, he…" he swallows. "…after my mugging and all the publicity…" he swallows. "…he almost left me."
Sonny Bianco is not a man who usually hesitates and stutters, but he's been doing that a lot over the past few minutes. There's also a lot of fingers-through-hair. "That's obviously a secret. But I didn't want you to think I'd actually left town."
Shaking his head, Sacha slumps his shoulders a bit. "I will not tell anyone," he assures. "I suppose I am not in a position to offer advice anymore. I do not want to see you unhappy, and while I am angry with Teo, I do not want to see him unhappy either.." He shakes his head again, sighs. "I have to say something to him. I am sorry about that, but I do not intend to make him leave you, I only want to tell him I am upset with how he treated me, not to upset him about how he has treated you."
Sal rubs his face. Or, Connor's face. Whatever. "You shouldn't be angry at him, Sacha. He should've been more honest with you, but if you're mad at him because of anything he did to me, don't be. We've moved past his cheating. And he didn't really do anything wrong to me by sleeping with you. He was honest about it. And I made it fairly clear I didn't want to know who he was with."
His smile is a tad sad. "If you're upset at him not telling you he was seeing someone…keep in mind that we were quite casual at the start. Technically. Even though I wanted more. We were lovers, then. He wasn't my boyfriend at the time."
Sacha shakes his head, again. Very argumentative today. "When I first met you.. the last time I was with him was not very long before. More than a week.." Since their first meeting had been a week after the commitment was made, "But not very much longer. I just would have preferred to be given a choice, it feels like he lied to me, and you know how I feel about being lied to." A small smile. "In a way I think I may be angry with him for not being available."
This makes this whole 'friendship' thing more awkward. With Sonny knowing Sacha'd like to be with his boy. He lets out a whuff of breath. "Still. Don't think…" a hesitation. "…I don't think he was lying to you. Not really. Or if he was, it was because he was also lying to himself. About the fact that we were already a lot closer than either of us really realized."
Of course, Sacha also knows that Teo's off-limits.. and they probably would not make a very good couple anyway. "It just… everything is so complicated, suddenly. I do not really know what to think about all of this." He sighs. "I am not going to go at him with impulsive anger, if that is what you are afraid of. I do intend to give myself time to sort things out more. … I'm sorry, this is just all so unexpected."
"Try not to be mad at him, Sacha. Teo's been through a lot of shit lately." Not the least of which was all of his friends disappearing after a carefully planned prison break. Then Sonny got the shit beaten out of him in Chinatown. It's not been a good month. His lover's not had many good months in the past two years. Maybe longer. "He's changed a lot in the past few months. We still fight, just about every other day. But we're still together." And that says something. To him, at least.
Abruptly, Sacha pushes himself up to his feet. He walks over to stand next to Sonny, or Connor, whomever, and rests a hand on the man's shoulder. "I will not do anything to put you in trouble with him. I need to talk to him anyway…" He smiles faintly, looking down at the mayor's son; something that probably won't happen again, at least not for a while. "…to be honest, I was trying to make myself brave enough to ask him about a doctor named Connor before what happened in Chinatown."
Sal looks up at Sacha as the other man comes towards him and sets the hand on his shoulder. The look is a little sheepish. He got him. He is worried about ending up in the doghouse over this conversation. One or the other of them keeps a pillow in there at all times. "Close your eyes for a sec."
Sacha tightens his grip for a brief moment, in a comforting sort of gesture, and offers another light smile. "I'll know if you run off," he jokes faintly, but does close his eyes as asked. The grip on Sonny's shoulder releases, his hand just resting there now.
There's a sensation of a ripple underneath Sacha's hand. The reason he asked the Frenchman to close his eyes is because shapeshifting can be creepy and jarring to those who haven't experienced it before. Rather than settling into the features of Sonny Bianco, he's switched to his new identity. "Okay, you can open," says a different voice. It's like a really great magic trick. Sacha's hand was resting there the whole time, but there's a different man looking up at him when he opens his eyes. "This is the face I'm going to be using from now on. So you can recognize me."
Sacha had guessed that was the reason, although he was expecting a different result; and thus, when he opens his eyes, he almost jumps again. With a nervous laugh, he explains, "I was expecting Dr. Bianco." Gripping the shoulder firmly again, he gives it a light rub and remarks, "You do have a way of picking attractive faces." And now he's almost flirting. Apparently a change of identity makes it easy to forget the conversation that was just going on - after all, it was with someone else entirely.
"Well, I figure you know what I really look like already," Sal's lips pull into a little grin. "But, next time I'll see you, it'll be like this. Connor's compromised. Too many people know, or at least suspect that it's me. I'm an idiot for carrying the wrong wallet, but I…" was mad at Teo and stormed out. "…wasn't paying attention."
There's a little bit of a blush and a smile at the compliment. "You think? Teo said he was surprised I didn't make myself prettier." He knows he's vain. The fact that this current face doesn't look like a male model was an exercise in humility for the cosmetic surgeon.
Shaking his head, Sacha assures, "You need not be stunning to be attractive. Really, as people get more attractive they tend to be more…" A shrug, wave of the free hand, "…plain? With how much we are assaulted with overly pretty people, eventually it becomes normal. Not that you aren't pretty." A brief pause. "The right amount." Teo? Who's Teo? "But yes.. Connor, he was in the papers, non? I was not sure what to think myself.. I did not think it was what it actually was, however, but the name at least is known."
"They only said in the papers that I was found with another bit of ID. They didn't actually say that it was my alternate identity. But they might as well have. And the tabloids ran with it." Sonny runs his hands over his hair. He's still not used to the soft, thick strands instead of curls. Or instead of Connor's short brown locks. It's just as jarring to him to be in different identities as it is for other people to see him changed.
"Well, I'm glad I meet with your approval," he says with a certain amount of wryness in his tone. Then he offers out his hand. "You can call me Sal," a beat, "And…I hope we can still be friends?" Even though Sacha might want to do his boyfriend again.
At the moment, Sacha might have a bit more interest in /being/ his boyfriend. In a slightly less literal sense than 'Sal' could offer. But he does have enough sense to take the offered hand, though his nod is a bit more hesitant. "I… do not wish to no longer be friends, but this.. everything will take getting used to. Sal," he adds, to remember the name; it sounds a bit strange in his accent. "It is all just so strange, you know?"
"Oh, I know. It's a mindfuck." Sal grins and grips Sacha's hand warmly. It will be…very strange if the three of them are ever in a room together. "I appreciate the way you're taking this. I didn't like lying to you. You really did help me out the last time we met." He lifts a shoulder. "N'like I said, I could use a friend." He keeps hold of the hand and places his other on top to give it a warm squeeze.
Sacha smiles. "It was either this or be angry, and I saw no real reason why I should be angry." Thinking the matter over a moment, he muses, "I know what it is like to want to stop being yourself for a while. It is funny… right now, you and Teo are the only people I know who I think of as friends. I may be angry with him, but I do still like him as a friend." A pause there and he decides he should add, "As just a friend."
"Yeah. It's been a little much. And it's put a big strain on my relationship with Tay." Sal releases Sacha's hand. "I'm hoping things'll be better between us without the pressure of me trying to live a double life." And part of him fears it won't make one bit of difference and they'll continue to land on islands of happiness, passing through seas of fights and arguments. "I've forgiven him for his cheating. I can understand you being angry with him, but I hope we can all move on."
"After I get some hits in, I will be able to move on, I think." He pats Sal's shoulder reassuringly. "I may be taking this more seriously than necessary. We will see, once I have thought things over." Looking over towards the door, he glances at his watch, sighs. "As it is now, probably I should reopen the store; We have been back here for some time."
Sal takes a look at his own watch and makes a face. "Ouch, yeah. Sorry. I didn't mean to keep you so long." He stands and straightens his shirt. "I should probably leave with the same face I came in with. Unless you have a back entrance?" He thumbs towards an archway where there might be another way out. It wouldn't take any effort to turn back into Connor, but he remains quite keenly aware of how his shapeshifting can make people uncomfortable.
Sacha shakes his head. "Not one that I can get to." He thinks a moment, and nods. "I will go first; it will seem less strange if you leave after I do, yes?" Probably the opposite, but he's trying, at least. "I will turn the lights back on and unlock the door, and such." And give Sal a minute to change faces.
Sal nods to Sacha. "All right." It's unlikely that anyone is following him, but given he's just established the face he's wearing, he can't really be too careful. He waits until the Frenchman has his back turned until he shifts back into Connor Kinney, likely for the last time. "I'll try not to be a stranger," he says, as he emerges from the back room. "Once I have a safe number, I'll drop it by."
Sacha has by then returned to his spot behind the counter, cleaning idly as if nothing had happened. "I have heard you have a busy lifestyle," he responds, in passing, with some amusement. "You have my number, if it would be better to let me know that way. At least, so we do not have to hide in offices." Another smile at that. "Not that I mind, but there are more comfortable places to speak."
Sal flashes a grin and nods. He looks a bit sheepish. "Uh, yeah. Yeah. Point. I'll give you some warning next time. Maybe we'll go have a drink." His eyes go to the cases for a moment, particularly to the men's pieces. But. Maybe another time. Buying a gift for Teo from Sacha after that conversation would seem…inappropriate somehow. "I'll see you later, Sacha. And…thanks again." For the stuff. Stuff he won't reiterate in case a customer walks in.