May 4

[notfaking_it]

When their roles are posted, Lily smiles knowingly at Nina across the small crowd of mostly disappointed dancers, then crosses over to her and tells her they're going to have a party to celebrate. She tells Nina to invite whoever she wants, says she'll host it, it'll happen this weekend, then she disappears to make plans. She leaves Nina without time to protest on purpose.

On the night of the party, she has drinks and food set out in her kitchen. She's invited most of the people she knows and even a few she doesn't -- dancers, mostly, because she doesn't want to leave them out -- and there's already music playing even before anyone has arrived. The intention is to be casual, relaxed, but there are pills in Lily's pocket, for anyone who knows her well enough to ask, for anyone she thinks might need to relax a little.

Nina's doing better now, but Lily has no problem helping her come out of her shell if it comes to that. And she has no problem helping anyone else either.

Comments

[notfaking_it]

She's moving through the party, a drink in hand, greeting people she knows, introducing herself to those she doesn't. So far she's only had the one drink, mostly so she can still be sober for anyone who might be looking for her or be the hostess as required, but it's still early and she has the rest of the night to look forward to.

"Hey," she says, passing close by someone. "Are you having a good time?"

[badtotheclone]

I'm very, very deeply contemplating my drink when I hear Lily say something.

"Huh? I mean, uh, yeah, I am."

I'm having a terrible time, but it's not Lily's fault. I like Lily. I would probably like most of these people here if I got to know them. But talking to strangers is weird and annoying so I'm just standing in the corner, drinking my beer.

[notfaking_it]

"You are, huh?" she asks, looking amused. That Kaine has come at all surprises her a little, but she's beginning to think maybe Cass convinced him that it was a good idea. Lily considers him a friend now, but she isn't sure if that's enough of a reason for him to come to a party. "So how come you're standing in a corner and look like you kind of want to disappear into your drink?"

[onewhoisall]

She skulked, sliding between groups of people before she moved across the room. Quiet as a mouse. Her clothes barely made a noise as she walked. She had enjoyed the ballet, she'd watched them all carefully and studied every movement until she could repeat phrases herself. She loved it, she loved every moment of it. Now all she had to do was find her errant... partner, boyfriend, him. Flamingo Boy.

[badtotheclone]

"Yup. This is me. Having a good time. I'm in fun time mode."

I wish I was being sarcastic, but I'm not. This is about as fun as I get in social situations. It's the sort of thing his friends back home would try and get him to do. He hoped they never found out he did it willingly. But I like Lily and Cass wanted to come, so...

"This is as fun as I get."

[badtotheclone]

I finally come out of the corner to move beside Cass. She's having fun, I think, so I try and put on a happy face. Or, at least not a grumpy face.

"Enjoying the party?" I asked. I hope she is, otherwise we're here for nothing, really, if at least one of us isn't really having a good time.

[onewhoisall]

"No, I am as miserable as your face." Cass replied simply. Her tone devoid of humour before she let the smile and warmth tug at her lips. Cass knew he was putting on the happy face, trying for her so she decided to reward him. After all she had already stolen one of his jackets tonight. "I enjoyed the dancing more but this is... expected. She's your friend."

She hooked her fingers through the loop in his trousers, tugging him close to her.

[badtotheclone]

"That doesn't even make sense," I tell her. Not that I care, because she's distracting me by pulling me close like that, so she can say whatever she wants. It's disturbing how much I'm comforted by her.

"You should mingle. Talk to people. Make friends."

[onewhoisall]

"I have friends," Cass replied with a simple shrug. She stretched up onto her tiptoes, pressing her shoulders against his chest and leaning against him before she brushed a slow, light kiss against his lips. She had him, he was her friend and everything else. She was used to being alone. "You just want to brood. I can tell, it's everywhere. Not going to let you. Might have to distract you."

[badtotheclone]

"I know you do," I say, kissing her back lightly while I wrap my arms around her and give her a brief hug. The press of her body against mine helps ease some of my tension.

"And I don't want to brood, it's just what I do. I promise to mingle if you do."

[notfaking_it]

"Lemme guess," Lily says, looking around the apartment until she spots Cass. "Your girlfriend wanted to come." She's not offended, she doesn't expect Kaine to feel comfortable in a situation like this, but she wishes there was something she could do to help.

The drugs would probably loosen him up, but she isn't sure how he might react to them. It's probably best not to slip anything into his drink.

[badtotheclone]

I shake my head in answer to her question. I can see why Lily might think that, but it's actually a lot more simple than that and slightly less sad on my end. Not that doing something to make your girlfriend happy is necessarily sad.

"I mean, she did want to come, but I would have come anyway. You're my friend, you invited me to a party, so I came."

[notfaking_it]

"Well, that's unexpectedly sweet," Lily says, her smile growing. Some of the time she's still not convinced Kaine isn't at least a little bit confused by her, but it's nice to hear all the same. "Alright, so since you came because I invited you, I won't try to make you mingle or anything. You can hang out by the wall and I'll hang out with you for a little while."

[badtotheclone]

"Great, now everyone is going to want to come over here because it's where you are," I say, although one corner of my mouth tugs up just a bit, an almost smile so she knows I'm kidding.

"And just for the record... how would you make me mingle?"

[notfaking_it]

"If I couldn't drag you around the party, I'd bring people to your corner," she answers with a sweet smile, knowing he wouldn't like that much. Even if she threatens it, she probably wouldn't go through with it. "I know pretty much every person here and it's my duty as hostess to make sure they all meet each other."

[itwas_perfect]

When they'd read the posting, Nina had smiled along with Lily, she'd given her congratulations, she'd agreed to the party, but deep in her gut, she'd felt a tug of worry. Of disbelief. Not because she'd been given what was, undeniably, the lesser role of the two -- the female lead would always be considered the headliner, when it came to ballet -- but because she'd been given the masculine role. The prince.

She'd never been accused of exuding masculine energy in her life.

The director had explained how the adaptation would work, how the dance would change to accommodate two women, but that didn't change the fact that she'd be expected to portray a kind of strength that had never been asked of her.

And there was something else, something nagging at the back of her mind. Something she couldn't put a name to, but it left her jittery and scattered, the world around her closing in, suffocating so much of the progress she'd made over the last years.

In the apartment, Nina grabbed a drink. She hadn't eaten all day, but she couldn't stomach the idea of food. Smiling and accepting a few congratulations, she weaved through the apartment, pointedly refusing to seek out Lily's familiar shape in the small crowd.

[badtotheclone]

"Then I'd have to go hide up on the roof or something," I tell her, grinning a bit. Actually, I don't think I would. I imagine Lily has pretty decent friends that I wouldn't completely hate.

[notfaking_it]

Lily was moving through the crowd as well, greeting people, stopping to speak with them now and then, but she was looking for Nina. She had a drink in one hand and when she finally spotted Nina, she moved in that direction, slipping up beside her, a smile curving her lips.

"Tell me you invited some people," she said, tipping her head closer to Nina's to be heard over the conversation and the music playing. She was excited for their roles, excited more for Nina than she was for herself. She'd danced Sleeping Beauty before, but to play the Prince would be a challenge, an experience not a lot of dancers were given.

[onewhoisall]

"Hn, like him. Should've been a bat," Cass murmured simply, stretching up and arching her back as he held her briefly. She takes his warmth, slipping cold fingertips beneath his waistband and pressing them against skin for warmth. "Hn, can see better at the edges. Better for security. And also then people don't ask questions about what I do. Might see Barbara from here, if she's here."

[badtotheclone]

"Cassandra... mingle."

I don't know if I'm ordering her or pleading with her. She's always Batgirl, sometimes she just doesn't wear a mask. I don't want her to change that completely, I admire that about her. But I want her to have another life too.

"Just tell them you're an out of work artist or something. Also, if Barbara is here... you should know she kind of hates me. A lot."

[onewhoisall]

"Cassandra? Hn, like it when you say my name like that." Cass replied, sliding her fingertips a little lower and teasing as he ordered her. She was fine where she was for the moment, she might move in a minute to... aggravate him. That was her newest word she had learned, she liked it. "She hates you? Hn... what did you do?"

[notfaking_it]

"As I recall, the roof isn't such a bad place to be," Lily answers, with a grin and a teasing, suggestive lilt to her voice. It's been awhile since that night and plenty of things have changed, but she can't resist the opportunity to bug him about it, especially when he'd avoided her in the weeks following.

[badtotheclone]

I purposely don't react to what her hands are doing, because I know that's partially why she's doing it. Not that knowing makes it any easier.

"I was nice! I bought her ice cream! I... may have looked surprised when she told me her name, Barbara. Then I didn't tell her how I knew her."

[badtotheclone]

"Personally, I enjoyed it more once we came down from the roof," I say, managing to flush only a little bit. I even look her in the eyes for a bit before having to duck my head. I have to admit that Lily was probably the best person I could have done something like that with, and not just in terms of how good it was. Most other people it could have gotten really awkward.

[onewhoisall]

She can feel the way he doesn't react, it's a deliberate act ignoring the way his body feels and it's even more deliberate that she responds back to that. Her fingernails curl against his skin, lightly scratching as she pressed her chest against his.

"Hn, you know she is like me? A bat. She might not... read the same but she still knows things." Cass replied. "It is like lying. And bats don't like liars. Did you do anything else?"