notfaking_it | (no subject)

Lily knew damn well Booker wouldn't like this.

She wasn't going to let that stop her or even really bother her for longer than a moment, but she was well aware of that fact. Still, Elizabeth needed to get out. She was a sweet girl, but she was curious and the last thing Lily wanted was for her to trust someone she shouldn't and end up in a bad situation just because she wanted to see what something was like. Maybe Lily herself wasn't always completely trustworthy, but she knew where to draw the line and she knew when someone might need a little looking out for.

Elizabeth hadn't many any particular request, but Lily had picked one of the slower clubs she knew. It would still be fun and she knew there would still be plenty of people inside, but it was a Wednesday night and it wouldn't be nearly as wild as it could get on the weekend. She'd suggested Elizabeth come by first, partly so Lily could help her get dressed if she needed to and partly so she could give Elizabeth the only two rules she had for the night.

She was in the bathroom, doing her makeup and finishing a glass of wine she'd poured herself with dinner when she heard the buzzer.

Hurrying across the apartment, she pressed the button and said, "Come on up. I'm almost ready."

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She had assumed as much and she nodded as the elevator took them down to the main floor. Lily headed across the lobby, her heels clicking on the floor as she walked and then pushed the door open, the warm evening air rushing in to greet them. "It's a completely different world," she said and while she didn't understand, could never fully relate to how it felt, she knew it had to be difficult at times.

"Do you like dancing?" she asked. It didn't really matter where or when a person was from, dancing always seemed to be a part of their world. The dances themselves changed, but the fact was that it always existed in some form.

"That I do like," she said with a smile. It'd been the first thing she'd done when she was free, when things were still innocent. It still brought her joy now, as did music in general. "I'm not sure how good I am, but there's something freeing about it, don't you think?"

"You're asking the girl who dances to pay the bills, remember?" Lily asked with a wide grin. There was no form in which she didn't absolutely love dancing, whether it was on stage at the concert hall, in a club or on that stage in the island club. She loved it all.

She turned them in the direction of the club, glad to see there wasn't a crowd lingering outside. It probably meant they wouldn't be overcrowded inside.

"I still would love to see you dance one day," she said with a small, shy smile. The ballet had always interested her, and though she once opened a tear that allowed her to see one being done once, it wasn't the same as seeing it in person.

"Is this the place?" she asked, noticing the small crowd as they approached. It seemed the busiest place on the street, at least.

"Any time you want, just let me know. I can always get you comp tickets," Lily said, then nodded as they approached. There was a bit of a line, but she moved through it, approaching the door even as a few people who were lining up shot her dirty looks, which she ignored.

"Hey," she said to the man who was covering the door. "Just the two of us tonight."

"Yeah," he said, smiling at her. "Go on in."

"That's be great," she said. She wondered if she could get Booker to go one day. He seemed a bit too gruff to be interested, but he did always have a way of surprising her. She'd tuck the offer away to bring up to him later, focusing instead on the man guarding the door. She gave him a week smile as they passed.

"That was easy," she said, her voice a little hushed so people didn't overhear how much she was gawking at the entire process.

"Booker offered to bring you the last time I spoke with him," Lily said as she wandered into the club, then turned to give Elizabeth a smile when she spoke. "The benefit of being very nice to everyone who works at a club is that you end up getting special treatment."

It wasn't always the only reason she was nice to them, she saw no point in treating people poorly without cause, but it helped that she was given something in return.

Elizabeth smiled herself when she heard that. To know he'd thought about it even though she was sure he had absolutely no interest in it meant a lot to her. They had their rough spots, but a lot of that seemed to just smooth out now that they were here - that they were safe.

"Do you come often, then?" she asked as she followed, giving a few stray people a smile when they looked her way. People seemed friendly here, at least, which put her at ease somewhat.

"Once or twice a month," she said with a shrug, leading them toward the bar. The music wasn't impossibly loud, but she could feel it thumping in her chest already. "It's close to home, which I like, but the people here are good, too." Lily knew people all over this city and even if some of the others from the island or new places thought they were creepy, she knew it was worth it to have them on her side.

The thump of the music through her body was strange, but exhilarating. She had never heard music at such volume before, to the point she actually felt it along with hearing it. It wasn't unpleasant, even if it certainly was different.

"I have no idea what to order," she admitted as they neared the bar. She knew what Booker usually drank, and the stuff never particularly smelled very good to her.

"Have you ever had any alcohol before?" Lily asked, leaning her forearm against the bar. "Wine or beer?" It was easier to know what to start with if she knew what sort of experience Elizabeth had, but she was willing to bet giving her a whiskey of some kind probably wouldn't go over well.

"Yes, but not much," she said. Which actually meant she had maybe a sip or two of beer, but she felt like an odd person out already. Admitting to someone who was clearly well versed in this sort of atmosphere how little she knew was embarrassing at best, even if she was kind to her.

Like everything else, she was willing to sort of go headlong into it and hope for the best. She'd never been a cautious person.

Lily nodded, because she'd figured that would be the answer and she leaned over the bar as the bartender headed in their direction. "I'll have a gin and tonic for myself," she said, then paused, looking over at Elizabeth as she tried to figure out what might be the best drink to get for her. Something simple and not too strong, but she didn't think getting anything too sweet would be the right choice either.

"Long island iced tea," she decided. "You let me know how you like this drink and we'll go from there."

"I trust your decision," Elizabeth said with a small, amused smile. It was true, though. She didn't think Lily was the type of person to give her a drink that she wouldn't like on purpose. The bartender put the drink in front of her after it was put together, and she leaned against the bar as she took it and looked at it for a moment. It actually looked like normal iced tea, but she knew better.

"What's in this?" she asked, but didn't even wait for an answer before she took her first experimental sip. She could taste the alcohol immediately, but it wasn't unpleasant like she somewhat expected it to be. Just because she knew Lily wouldn't give her a bad drink didn't mean she was going to like alcohol much, period. After taking another sip, she added, "This is really good!"

"So it was a good choice?" Lily asked with a grin, leaning against the bar. "There's tequila in there, rum, vodka, some coke, some other things, I think. I'm not really much of a bartender, I tend to leave all the mixing to the folks behind the counter." It was usually better that way and she was pleased that Elizabeth seemed to be enjoying the drink.

"I got you that instead of something too fruity, because it's easier to forget about the alcohol in those things," she said. "And then it's easier to drink until you're sick, which we don't want."