hit it in the morning [xantha]

[FELIX CICERO TELLER]

Boxing day was a day of rest for most of Britain. A bank holiday where you could sleep in and not have to worry about entertaining house guests. The day before, the Teller family had celebrated Christmas just the three of them, with wizarding crackers, endless mulled wine and three helpings of Christmas pudding. Unfortunately, Felix hadn't had the forethought to keep his boxing day clear of plans due to the astounding hangover he nursed as his alarm went off.

When Madeleine first told Felix that she would be in Dubai for the holidays, Felix had been confused. He held no love for the city, despite having never been. He promptly planned a trip to Scotland for whisky tours to rid himself of the sour taste of loneliness. The trouble was, the last booking available was for 26th December. And now, here he was. At least hair of the dog was a semi-acceptable cure to hangovers. Felix would have to top up his stores of pepper-up potion. He hadn't anticipated all the wine they had drunk yesterday, though he probably should have. With a grunt, he dragged himself from his bed, dressed in his usual muted attire and left the house, sunglasses poised on his long, straight nose despite the lack of veritable sunshine.

It didn't take long for the liquor to numb the pain in Felix's head. In fact, he shortly found himself enjoying the company of his fellow whisky fanatics. The day was spent touring Edinburgh distilleries. The next few days would involve travel to various distilleries across the lowlands. Naturally, the popularity of highland whisky meant that tour had sold out. Properly pissed by the end of it all, Felix agreed to join a few of the lads at a pub in the old town. Felix had been to the Green Lady a few times, and had always enjoyed the atmosphere and selection. He did suppose he ought to have something to eat, and crammed a sausage roll into his mouth in a rather unflattering way. He didn't mind though - his inhibitions were rather limited.

One of the lads, Joe, Felix thought his name was, nudged Felix in the side. Felix looked up from his drink, which at the moment was simply water. He wasn't going to get himself in the same situation as this morning, despite how liquored he was. Joe nodded towards a corner where a group of girls was chatting over a bottle of white wine. "Pretty birds, aren't eh," said Joe, punctuating his statement with a hiccough. Felix shrugged, thinking of his girlfriend who was likely surrounded by bald, overly muscled men in white clothing. If only she were here. "Prefer the whisky, to be perfectly honest," he replied, signalling to the barman to pour another round. Felix doubted a girl could walk into this place and make him completely forget Madeleine.

@xantha

[Deleted]

Xantha had decided to take a small break. She'd been overwhelmed during Christmas and some shape or form of insanity had decided to take a train (without a ticket, she couldn't really afford to pay) all the way to Edinburgh to see if she could possibly see her father. Naturally that had been a huge mistake. She'd managed to get close to his house before catching a glimpse of him, the woman he cheated on er mum with and what appeared to be their child. She'd noped out hard and fast, despite the fact she'd hoped to see her little brother. She just couldn't deal with it and was dying for a distraction at that point.

Naturally she'd gone looking for a relatively cheap pub. Despite finally having a job it didn't exactly pay all that well. She was rationing her meals since she'd gotten the apartment since she could barely afford the downpayment that had been required and while she could eat almost every day now she didn't have much money to squander on alcohol. The best places to go were busier pubs so one could find a guy that looked lonely (and preferably attractive) enough to persuade into buying drinks. If anything came of it... well sometimes that was an advantage. Other times it was a risk she was willing to take for free drinks or food.

She'd found a peculiar looking pair of people and they had mentioned drinks so Xantha had followed them (as subtly as she could manage) into a very strange pub. She tried to ignore the details. It didn't take her too long to spot a group of chipper girls after hearing a guy comment on them being 'pretty birds'. Well, that sounded fortunate enough, although his friend was a lot more interesting than he himself was. The reply made her smiled slightly, as that sounded like half a challenge to her ears. Still, his friend sounded like less of a challenge to her.

With the grace and poise that only a professional dancer could really manage she headed over to the bar and took up a spot right next to them, smiling like a pretty little airhead at them. It was much easier to get most people to buy one drinks when you seemed easy to interact with. She'd learned to read people well enough to take advantage of them most of the time. She smiled as she looked them both up and down with a flirty little smile playing on her lips. "I'm afraid I'm with your friend there. I'd much prefer a drink of the company of those ladies." She joked with a playful little wink. "Although perhaps your company could prove more interesting than the drinks?" She asked, a flirty and playful air about her in hopes of enticing a conversation out of them. Flattery often worked miracles.

FELIX CICERO TELLER

[FELIX CICERO TELLER]

Whisky tended to fuel interesting conversation, Felix had long ago discovered. But now, he had the issue of not revealing his true nature to Joe, the man he found himself entering the pub with. It didn't matter much, as Felix was much more concerned with maintaining a buzz and not being hungover in the morning. Along with his whisky, he ordered a pint of water. Always best to stay hydrated.

Not long after the drunken duo set themselves at the bar, they were joined by a lithe little blonde. Felix hardly spared her a glance, more concerned with consuming another whisky as the water had regretfully cleared his head. A double of Glenfiddich, neat. He sipped it, only half listening to Joe and the girl who had joined them. "What d'you fancy, love?" asked Joe of the woman, placing their orders with the bartender. Felix did not care what happened to Joe, or to this girl. But when he finally gave her a good look, he frowned. As vapid as this young woman seemed, there was something keen about the glint in her eye. In that moment, Felix knew that Joe was being played. He had absolutely no chance with this pretty bird, or so he would have called her. Felix smirked, returning his attention to his drink.

Joe stumbled over his responses, obviously taken in by her beauty. "Aye, would say we're quite a duo. Friends from across the isles, you see," said Joe in what he hoped was a wise response. "Actually, we just met today. It would seem the only thing we have in common is an insatiable taste for Scotch," said Felix, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. He looked at the girl. "I can't imagine anything more boring than the company of inebriated men. And yet, here you and I are, doing just that," said Felix. He didn't offer her a further response, but instead turned his attention inwards. He really hoped his head wouldn't hurt in the morning.

@xantha

[Deleted]

It was all well and interesting, the guy that wanted to be so but that only made him less interesting to Xantha. He seemed like the type trying to get something and well, some of those got very clingy very fast and that was the last thing she needed. She was looking for entertainment for the evening, not the rest of her life or even the rest of the week. He could be as lonely as he wanted for the holidays but she wasn't going to take that risk. People usually got more clingy because they were scared to be lonely. Not her though, she was far more worried about making attachments.

She ordered her drink from the less interesting of the two and happily sipped it when it was delivered and pretended to be interested when he started pretending to quite something. He obviously wasn't. Still, it made his companion seem more interesting, even more so because he was showing little interest, which meant he wasn't half as desperate as his companion was. She smiled. "Well the taste of Scotch is quite good, isn't it?" She asked the stranger that hadn't been drooling over her yet. She'd seen the look in his eyes though, he at the very least didn't find her to be repulsive. She looked at the talkative stranger for a moment, looking him up and down for a moment before glancing at the pretty girls that were talking amongst each other, clearly quite intent on having a good time. Xantha knew the type and if he played his cards right he could probably take at least one of the ladies he'd been eyeing before she arrived home.

She leaned in, whispering tactics that would likely work in his ear before smiling as she pulled back and petting him on the shoulder. She hoped he'd droop off so she could spend a little more time with the more interesting guy while enjoying the drink that the other one bought her. Best of both worlds really. She changed seats for the one next to him and looked him up and down interestedly for a moment. "So, you're drinking on boxing day in the company of a near total stranger." She observed playfully. "That suggests that you either don't really want company but prefer that of a drunken man over that of female company or you fear sitting alone will seem so lonely that nobody will seek you out. Either that or you have a really interesting story." She smiled slightly, batting her eyelashes innocently for a moment as she leaned her head on one hand on the bar. "Feel free to tell me how wrong I am." She invited him, hoping to elicit a response from him.

FELIX CICERO TELLER

[FELIX CICERO TELLER]

Half of Felix wanted to sit back and watch Joe flounder. It would serve him right for dragging him into this mess in the first place. Instead, Felix somewhat came to Joe's rescue by also engaging with the unbelievably beautiful girl. If he hadn't known better, Felix would have thought she was part veela. She certainly had the charm and the flirtation. However, there was something about her that made her extra special - she was this way and very likely not a magical being at all. Joe was eyeing her greedily, while she leaned in and whispered in his ear. She patted him on the shoulder and snubbed him in a move that made Felix chuckle.

The woman turned her attention to him, and Felix felt rather like a fly in a spiders web. He looked into those curious, inviting eyes. He took an other sip of his whisky before speaking. "Funnily enough, you've got it right in one," said Felix, working hard to maintain eye contact. "I'm not usually the type for company. Least of all male company. But get a few drams of whisky in you, and you might see a different version of yourself," said Felix with a shrug. Her voice was inviting, her words suggestive and curious. "Loneliness becomes me. You've come over here to investigate, haven't you?" Felix replied, draining his glass. Joe was quick to buy a replacement.

"So.... what brings you to a bar? Keen to chat up lonely men or just looking for something more exciting than the slush in the streets and the replays of the Queen's speech?" As if a different person was taking him on, Felix was driven to continue. "I'm Felix, by the way," he added, oddly interested to put a name to the beautiful face.

@xantha

[Deleted]

Her target surely was an interesting kind of fellow. Most people were not overly keen to admit they were not people person and were not exactly in a pub for the sake of having a good time. He was a lot more candid and while part of her appreciated it she also found herself more curious because of it. It made so little sense. He claimed the whiskey would change him, which she found easy enough to explain. A smile played on her face but her true interest was far more in finding out more about the stranger. People normally enjoyed a certain level of companionship, even more so if they went to the bar. Those that wanted to drink alone more commonly stayed at home with their various collections or went out alone to drink in a very asocial manner. He'd opted for a different route, which kept him interesting enough for now.

She chuckled in good nature and shrugged with a small smile on her lips. "What can I say? I'm a curious person by nature and I've found there's always something interesting if you're willing to look around for it." She suggested, meaning he was currently interesting to her. She knew her interest could disappear quickly but she could fake it well enough to meet her needs. There was very little she was not willing to do to survive after all.

At his question what brought her to the bar she looked around a moment before answering. There were very few truly interesting people around no matter what, but that hardly mattered. She'd come to forget, although that was hardly the kind of answer that would get her anywhere she wanted to be. All that seemed to do most of the time was make people keen on helping you remember so they could try to help you through your troubles. Not for her, she'd rather keep her concerns to herself. She grinned with some mischief to her smile as she turned back to face him with her reply. "Oh I'm certainly more keen on meeting new people than replays of the Queen's speech. Besides, I like ending up in interesting situations as you so sweetly put it. All it takes is finding interesting company, in my personal experience." Interesting in many possible ways of course. He was one way, Joe was another. Joe was fun to toy with but not to take home. She smiled and brightened considerably as he mentioned his name. She already had her plans. She was far away from trouble to use her real name and it wasn't like anybody would connect her to her deadbeat dad here either way. "Pleasure to meet you Felix. I'm Xantha." Normally she might have gone for Jane, but it wasn't overly likely she'd run into him again. She didn't make much of a habit of coming this far north.

FELIX CICERO TELLER

[FELIX CICERO TELLER]

Felix met the woman's comments with a smirk of his own. He had consumed too much whisky to be at the top of his game in terms of cheeky remarks. She hinted at him being interesting, which in normal times he would have absolutely disagreed with, but at the moment he said nothing. Just a coy smile on his lips. Felix made an idle comment about how she was here, seeking out interesting person, rather than sticking at home like so many of the rest of the British population. Nursing hangovers and watching replays.

"Interesting situations?" Felix lifted his glass to his lips whilst gesturing around the bar with his free hand. "I think you're the only thing here making it interesting." Joe had slunk off to patch up his feelings at the bottom of a whisky bottle. That left just Felix and this mystery girl. She flushed all other thoughts out of his head, filling his mind instead with a swish of white blonde hair, a twinkling smile, a devious look in her eye.

"Xantha... the pleasure is all mine," he replied, taking a hand and lifting it to his lips. She brightened considerably at making his acquaintance, which was unfamiliar in itself to him. "Isn't it strange to find yourself in a somewhat unfamiliar city, taking in the sights, and meeting interesting people?" Another sip. "You haven't got the Scottish accent. Visiting or just moved here?" asked Felix with an inclination of his head. "It's quite amusing that at any point in time, we meet people who may or may not change the projection of your life. They may be a lover. They may just be a fleeting moment. But a tiny flip of the switch can send you either direction," he mused idly, his gaze drifting around the various patrons of the bar.

@xantha

[Deleted]

He was being so nice! Complimenting her like that but not letting her glass run dry yet. It certainly made for more interesting conversation than she'd anticipated and she loved every moment of that part. Besides, he didn't seem to try to attach himself but to simply seek a form of entertainment. Was he trying to forget something, much like she was? It was possible, in which case it was much better to forget together. She chuckled and vaguely motioned towards the glass of whiskey in front of him for a moment. "Oh I don't think you need me for that. Whiskey seems to be doing a decent job at making it more interesting, but I'll just consider myself an added bonus." She remarked playfully, sipping at her own glass for a moment to make a point. To her he made it interesting by being here, but that was partially because she wanted a distraction and he was being pretty good company for a drunken man. Exactly the right amount of interested.

Well, he did know how to play the game. He kissed her hand and she was all for that. It made things more interesting and it showed he had a lot more charm than his initial demeanour had suggested. She figured he'd been planning to drink the night away after Joe would have left him for her company but with Joe out of the way he seemed more open to the idea of conversation. It pleased her. She'd been interesting enough to him so far to capture his attention.

His deductions were also very on point, almost too much. He was smart so fooling him wouldn't be ridiculously easy. It would take a fair amount of honesty mixed in with the usual lies. She didn't want to tell the truth. It was ugly and painful and wouldn't get them any further into having an interesting time. "Strange is better than boring. It's strange, I suppose, but I'll take it over any kind of boring." She said with a slight shrug. At the question if it was visiting or just moved here she smiled a mysterious little smile. "So many questions. I planned to visit but my host bailed on me so I figured I'd make the most out of the trip since I already bought the ticket." That wasn't a total lie, although her father had bailed on her long before she'd bought the ticket. It had been nothing but confirmation.

His musing about flipping the switch had her a little amused so she leaned forward and rested her hand on his slightly, figuring she could be a little naughty and put the moves on him for a short while. "Do you anticipate a large change in your life, Felix?" She asked, gently but with an alluring undertone to her voice. It wasn't tempting him to believe he'd found his future, but more tempting him to see that he had the option to pick a direction for the rest of the night. A life could change with any choice a person made, although it wasn't unthinkable that it would change in a way much unexpected to either of them. It wasn't part of her plan, but her plan consisted of nothing but dancing in the long run. A little fun along the way could be easily spontaneous.

FELIX CICERO TELLER

[FELIX CICERO TELLER]

Felix considered the young blonde enchantress over his glass of whisky. She appraised him with equal interest, and the more the whisky slipped down his throat, the more he forgot about the outside world. Slowly, existence crept away, an otherworldly bubble of silence falling over the pair. The girl who had introduced herself as Xantha had his full, undivided attention. Felix made an offhand comment about how very strange it was that these two should find one another in a city not particularly familiar to him. He had no such belief in fate, or that the universe made any notice of the tiny, tiny people that populated this rock. He wondered mildly if the universe even knew that such a magnificent place existed - exactly the right balance of heat and gravity to support life.

The sensuous curve of Xantha's lips called to Felix, enticing him to come closer. He listened to the call, leaning closer so he could see every speck of colour in her eyes. Her remarks about strangeness being better than boring floated over him, her words incapable of capturing his rapturous attention to the glimmer in her eyes. He flicked his glaze down to her mouth, pink and puckered in such a pleasing way. Blinking, Felix forced himself to lean away, forcing an easy smile on his face.

"It is my sworn duty to ask questions and to understand," said Felix cryptically. He wasn't entirely certain if this young woman was a witch or not, so better to err on the side of caution. The fact that he was able to maintain this line of thought was astounding in the least. He opened his mouth as if to speak, thinking of mentioning that he'd booked a place with a spare room, but instead mused on the instantaneous moment in which life could simply change direction. Her purred response touched Felix in a way he hadn't felt in some time. "Perhaps a small change is all I need," said Felix, his tone low and husky. A moment, just one moment in which he could flip the switch, so to speak. He took a sip of his whisky, eyes never leaving Xantha's. A stray lock of white blonde hair tumbled free across her face, and he reached out to brush it away, tucking it safely behind her ear. She was tempting, so tempting. "Just one tiny moment can change the outcome, at least for a little while."

@xantha

[Deleted]

He was interested, which was the least she could hope for on a good day. Perhaps this was going to be a good day after all. He wasn't particularly sharing about what he meant with saying it was his sworn duty to ask questions and understand, even more so when the subject of both the questions and understanding was not specified. She chuckled and smiled slightly, shrugging. "So I'll just tell myself you're some sort of government secret agent or something. It would certainly make my life a lot more interesting." She said, toying with him slightly on that point. She didn't care one bit what he did and the more elusive he was and remained, the less the chance he'd get attached or want to keep her around. She certainly didn't need him around for more than a night. The idea of starting a relationship just meant opening herself up to hurt, not to mention it would distract her from her career and end up in her having to open up about her situation. She didn't like pity, so she mostly attempted to avoid anything that might lead in that direction.

His words suggested a small change, which she was all in for. He was clearly attracted to her and she could see that his intoxicated state made him more open to considering stealing away some of her time. He was lucky she didn't steal from individuals if she could avoid it or she was pretty sure she could have plucked him like a a chicken with some time, effort and a little more booze. Right now her interests were more to have herself distracted so he didn't have to regret anything by morning. He pushed some hair out of her face as she smiled a small smile as she leaned forward just a little, as if drawn in by him completely. It was a well placed lie. He was attractive but his allure was more in what he could do for her than any sort of connection she was pretending to have in the moment. She batted her eyelashes at him. "Well could I have a moment of your time then?" She asked in a breathless little whisper, as if she was just dying to kiss him. Yes, she wanted that, but she was laying it on a little thick. He was probably a little too tipsy (if not drunk) to notice though, which was a good thing. It made it easier to play the game of seduction and get the fun little distraction she hoped to end up with tonight. All she had to do was seduce him and be his little pretty bird for the night. How hard could it be?

FELIX CICERO TELLER

[FELIX CICERO TELLER]

Felix's self preservation escaped him as he pushed the lock of white blonde hair behind her ear, his steely gaze meeting her own. A beast growled within him, demanding more of Felix. This woman made him forget about everything, forget about his life and what awaited him back home. And when she blinked prettily up at him, his will broke and he closed the gap between them, pressing his lips to hers. Softly, firmly, juxtaposition within its very core. One hand found the small of her back, the other cupping her cheek tenderly.

It took all the effort he had to pull himself away from Xantha. He bit his bottom lip, considering her but not the implications that came with that brief, but impassioned kiss. Felix's head cleared slightly, and the corner of his lip tugged upwards. "You can have more than just a moment if you'd like..." said Felix, the implication clear from his tone of voice. "Say you've come to a crossroads. Do you take the left path, the path that is more well trodden and bright and you know exactly where it is. Or do you opt for adventure?" asked Felix.

@xantha

[Deleted]

Xantha easily gave herself to the kiss that the man pressed on her lips and she wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing them to pull closer. He was exactly the kind of distraction that she needed. Something to stop her from thinking about her father and ruining her mood completely. She smiled as he offered more shortly after pulling away from her, the implication loud and clear and Xantha was totally up for that. She looked up at him, biting her lip slightly in a display of desire. "Do you have a place nearby?" She asked him. She herself certainly couldn't afford a hotel or anything and her home was hours away and not at all suited to bringing over company. The question had her let out an almost giggle as she smiled brightly, pulling herself a little closer to him. "Well I've always been rather partial to adventures." She admitted. She'd never been one for taking the easy path, although that had rarely actually been an option for her either. Even now she barely managed to keep herself afloat financially. The disadvantage of having a very sick mother unable to pay her own medical bills and a father that skipped out on them years ago. At least she could afford her own place with the small contributions Mavis made. It was tiny, but it was big enough for the two of them. That was all they had, but also all they needed in chasing their dreams.

FELIX CICERO TELLER