Chasing Their Tails (Adonia)

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Brandon was in a bad mood. He knew he should feel better now that he was out of the hospital and at least able to move on his own. His joints were unpracticed and playing music was almost impossible at the moment, but he escaped that dreary room. That was something to be grateful for, yet he wasn't. Not right now. Rosie was gone. He saw her a few times after leaving the hospital, then she disappeared. The familiar pit of loss seemed to punch him in the stomach when he realized she was nowhere to be found. Not again. Not after Callie and Callisto and ... well it was just his rotten luck, wasn't it? Any time he started to develop feelings for a girl she disappeared. Granted, earlier today he got an owl from Rosie, saying that she went to America with a friend. America! How could she have a trip like this and not even tell him about it to his face? He couldn't help but wonder if she actually did want to break up with him, if this was her way of showing that she wanted distance. He didn't know. He wasn't good with girls. In fact, Brandon was pretty close to being convinced that his life would be better off if he just forgot romance and focused on his music. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't do that right now, which was part of the reason why he found himself here at a club. Brandon wasn't a big drinker, but he came here anyway. He needed some kind of distraction, to make him forget how crappy life was at the moment. Nothing was helping.

@adonia

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Adonia had found a home at Club Indigo, big surprise there. It was loud, there was music and dancing, there was no better place. She drank occasionally, sure, but she preferred to be sober to fully enjoy herself. She didn't need a drink to release her inhibitions. Tonight, though, she had a few drinks for the heck of it. She was dancing in the middle of the floor, her arms around a beautiful pair of blondes when she turned to see him.

She stopped dancing, and blinked. Oh, no. Oh, no. She could barely contain herself around hi while she was sober and now... she wasn't drunk but she was a little bit tipsy. Still, she couldn't resist her feet moving toward him. She couldn't control them one bit. She straightened her shirt as she walked, ran her fingers through her hair, cleared her throat.

"Brandon!" she finally called when she was still a small crowd away from him. She worked her way through, reaching a hand out to him as she got close. "Brandon, what are you doing here? Wanna dance? I'll go easy on you," she promised.

@brandon

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He heard a familiar voice coming from behind and Brandon turned, smiling as Adonia came into his view. She seemed happy to see him here and he definitely returned the feeling. If anyone could distract him from his current mood, Adonia could. She proved that time and time again when they were in the hospital, always seeming to know exactly what he needed.

She reached him, extending a hand and he took it immediately. He shrugged at her first question, "Looking for distraction," he admitted. He wasn't big into lying and honestly didn't have another reason for being here. He wanted to forget that Rosie left, that he still couldn't play his music and how empty he felt. She asked if he wanted to dance and he let himself smile again, figuring that since he took her hand she'd probably pull him out no matter what he said. "Sure, as long as you go easy on me. My feet aren't as talented with dancing as my fingers are with music." He stood, allowing her to pull him out.

@adonia

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Smile. His smile. He took her hand immediately and shrugged, saying he was looking for a distraction. A distraction? Was he okay? What was going on? She wasn't going to ask questions, though. This was her opportunity. Being a distraction happened to be one of her specialties. If she played her cards right... She would feel bad about making someone unhappy, Rosie, but she also believed in living in the moment, having fun, and taking what you wanted.

And she knew what she wanted.

He said that she indeed needed to go easy on him and she started to pull him toward her, into the crowd, before he even finished his sentence. The mention of music made her heart ache, since she knew he couldn't play right now. "Easy is hard for me, but I can try. I've gone easy on you before," she winked, pulling him into the dance floor, to a less crowded part so he wouldn't get bumped as much.

The song was upbeat and fast paced, and she grinned at him, taking both of his hands and starting to move. "To be honest, I normally just dance wildly," she actually looked pretty ridiculous while dancing, "we'll have to learn this going easy thing together."

@brandon

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Brandon was not surprised in the slightest when Adonia pulled him into the group of people. That was the point, right? She was going to help him relax, help him stop thinking about all the things that were stressing him out. He couldn't play music with his fingers, but he could still hold her hand, so dancing should be fine. She said that easy was hard and Brandon laughed. "I think you can do it," he encouraged. "Like you said, you've done it before." 

Then they started dancing and Brandon tried to follow her lead, even though he didn't feel like he was moving smoothly at all. "Wildly, eh?" he asked with a smirk. "I'd kind of like to see that ... but not if I have to try and do it with you." He pulled back a little, trying to tease her. He released one of her hands, gesturing for her to go ahead and show him. Then he shrugged, "Or we can figure out going easy together." He lifted his eyebrows, nonverbally asking her what she wanted to do.

@adonia

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Brandon agreed that she had gone easy on him before and she laughed at the truth of that. She had gone easy on him more often then he even knew, really. Hard on herself in most cases, but easy on him. That mattered more to her in those moments, which was something she didn't expect. She was always focused on what would be the most fun for her, occasionally inviting other people into her good time. But with Brandon, he always came first.

They started to dance, mostly just holding hands and stepping from side to side. Nothing crazy like Adonia usually did with her hands in the air and moving around like some kind of wild animal. It wasn't 'sexy' in the least, just fun. Like the way little kids dance. She said he'd like to see her wild dancing, but not if he had to do it. He pulled back little and she slightly tightened her grip on his hand she still had, so he couldn't get away.

She raised an eyebrow, still slightly moving to the music. "Alright, alright. I'll show you first. Then you and I will work on that easy thing," she rolled her eyes and released his hand, then started to feel the beat. She started with nodding her head and then, very quickly, her hands shot up into the air and she was jumping up and down. Shaking her hips, kicking her legs, basically looking like a lunatic. She laughed loudly, spinning in one final big circle, spinning around him, before stopping and holding her hand out to him again.

@brandon

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At his suggestion, Adonia squeezed his hand and Brandon figured she decided against showing him how she danced. But then she pulled away and he smiled and nodded as she said that she would show him and then they could dance easily. He grinned as he watched her dance. It was ... definitely different from what everyone else in the place was doing, but it fit. From everything he knew of the other girl, her dancing fit her personality and it made him smile to watch her dance, entirely relaxed. 

She even laughed while she danced, which made Brandon smile some more. Then she extended her hand to him again and Brandon took it, pulling her back to him. "That was impressive," he teased her, though he was still impressed. Out of everyone he knew, he wasn't sure if many others had the confidence to be themselves that much in a crowd of strangers. He swayed from side to side a little, not really sure what he was doing, but letting it happen all the same. He was glad he found her here. She was ... helping, even if he couldn't explain how.

@adonia

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He was smiling, and that was the best thing in the world to her. She just wanted to make him happy, and at least this was doing that now. He took her hand back and pulled her toward him. He said she was impressive and she narrowed her eyes, smirking. She laughed, "I can do things a lot more impressive than that," she said, wiggling her eyebrows at him. They started to sway side to side a little, but it was still pretty small movements. "Sadly clubs don't really play slow songs," she said pursing her lips to the side, "but I normally don't do those, anyway. It would be more fitting for our purposes though," she laughed, tossing her head back just a little.

She took his hands and led them to her waist, placing them there before releasing them to wrap her arms around his neck. He could take his hands away, if he really wanted, but she kept her arms around him. The song was loud and the lights were bright, but she moved slowly. She was about to ask how he was doing -- the last time she saw him he could barely use his fingers... but he wanted a distraction. She knew how to distract him. There was one thing she knew better than anything else, and it was the best weapon in her arsenal. "So -- are you still dating Rosie?" she asked, hoping it wasn't a sore subject... but also kind of hoping it was.

@brandon

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So they were dancing together again, even though Brandon still felt unsure of himself. He wasn't a dancer. He was used to doing ... other things ... while everyone else dance. His music. He tensed for a moment as his thoughts returned there and then he shook his head, smiling as Adonia said she could be more impressive. "Oh I'm sure you can," he teased her back, welcoming the distraction. He didn't want to think of his music or Rosie or anything outside of what he was doing right now. If he did, it would be plainly obvious how broken he was. He chuckled softly when she started about slow songs and such, "It probably would, huh?" he asked automatically.  

Adonia started moving, placing his hands on her waist before wrapping her arms around his neck. Brandon didn't expect that, but he found himself pulling her closer. Adonia was ... he didn't know how to describe what she was, but she was helping him. She was a friend, someone he found himself trusting more as time went on and he was glad that he ran into her tonight. She was already helping distract him. At least, she was until she spoke again, asking about Rosie. He froze as the feelings came back, the ones he was trying to keep at bay. Hurt, loss, betrayal, loneliness. It wasn't Rosie's fault ... but at the same time it was. She left. Just like Callisto, just like anyone he'd ever been interested in. Rosie left without telling him and the fact that she sent him an owl since then did little to help him. Callisto and he wrote one another and she never came back. As much as he didn't want that to be the case with Rosie, he had a hard time telling himself she'd come back. No one else had. Why would she? He hesitated, all this running through his mind the second Adonia asked if they were still dating. "I ... I don't know," he answered, his voice soft. "We were, but she left suddenly and I don't think she's coming back. At least, I don't think she's coming back for me. I think we're over." He believed what he said, but actually saying it out loud made it so much more real, which hurt more than the explosion a few weeks ago. His arms tightened around Adonia again, an instant reaction to his internal pain.

@adonia

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He took a moment to answer, and she silently waited. Then he said it, I don't know, the best three words in the English language. Well, the best word would have been 'no', but this was good enough for her. Then, he went on, and I think we're over came, and those were the best four words in the English language.

She felt kind of bad about Rosie. That she had lost her cool one night... channeling the deeper, innermost parts of a dark past moment and somehow taking it out on that poor girl. She really was in the wrong place and the right time... but, at the same time, Adonia thought maybe it was a little foreshadowing. That she had taken her issues out on a random girl, and that random girl happened to end up dating Brandon, who Adonia happened to fall for.

And the darkest parts of her didn't want her to come back, and decided to believe that she wouldn't.

His arms tightened around her and she frowned.She took one of her hands from his neck to reach up to his bangs, brushing at the hairline on the top of his forehead. "I'm here, though," she said, her voice soft. She meant for it to be, too. Adonia was a lot of things, but she was first and foremost an actress. Now, somehow, she was acting to show how she really felt. It was a weird phenomenon. "And I want to kiss you. And I'm going to, more than once unless you stop me," she said firmly.

She didn't let him speak before fitting her mouth to his, taking a deep breath through her nose. Briefly she thought of Cara, and she smiled against his lips at that. Then her mind was all back on Brandon. Brandon, Brandon, "Brandon," she said against his lips, her hand in his hair shifting to the back of his head to pull him even closer. He didn't need to take it that easy, right? She didn't actually give him a chance to escape for a few moments, holding his head a little too tightly as she kissed him once, twice, five times.

@brandon

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Adonia pulled away ever so slightly, touching his hair and saying that she was here. She was, and he couldn't put a label on how he felt about that other than the fact that he was glad. Glad he came here and that she happened to be here, glad that he wasn't on his own right now. A part of him didn't feel surprised that Adonia was there. She always seemed to be there when he needed someone. She was there after the explosion, even after she left the hospital and didn't have to be there anymore. She came to visit him. Adonia spoke softly, saying she was going to kiss him unless he stopped her. His gut reaction was that he didn't want to be kissed right now, that it would just make things harder ... but she was kissing him before he could say anything and Brandon realized he'd been wrong. This was exactly the type of distraction he was looking for. She said his name and he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her back hard as he just let everything else go- Rosie, his music- and focused entirely on Adonia.

@adonia

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He wrapped his arms around her waist and he wasn't stopping her. A part of her really, really though he would do the noble thing and tell her no, but he wasn't. An even smaller part of her wished he would stop kissing her, save her the heartache of when it was over, but that part was so small it was barely there. She kissed him hard and tugged on his hair a little, her other hand flattening against his back and pulling him even closer. She took in another sharp breath through her nose before breaking apart. She stared at his eyes, whether he opened them or not, "come with me, Brandon. Let me help,"she said softly, slowly taking a step back and, since they were holding each other so tightly, hoping he would follow her lead. "Run away with me," she said even softer, almost a whisper, almost, even, like she was just mouthing the words. The music was loud but she was sure he could still hear her. She took another step back, edging away from the crowd.

@brandon

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Brandon lost himself in her kiss, holding her tight. Maybe if he held on tight enough, he wouldn't lose her too. Losing Rosie was hard enough, he didn't want to lose anyone else. Wait. Adonia wasn't his. He had no right to think of her like that. She broke the kiss, and with it his confusing train of thought. Brandon looked at her, his eyes searching hers. She told him to come with her and let her help and suddenly memories of growing up with Rosie, of playing her song for her, of their first date and countless others flashed through his head. He shook his head to try and push them away and looked back at Adonia almost desperately. "Please," he answered, moving with her when she took a step away. She told him to run away with her and he nodded firmly, smiling just a tiny bit. Anything. As long as she could distract him and keep him from falling apart. He moved with her slowly, step by step until they were out of the crowd on the dance floor.

@adonia

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The fact that he looked at her, the look on his face emotional and almost desperate made her want to stop - but she didn't. He shook his head even, and for a moment she thought he was about to deny her. But then that one word came from his lips, please, and she heard all the pain in his voice. She didn't know where all that pain was coming from, just some of it, and that was enough to make her want to put at end to it - at least for a little while. She smiled softly, and he nodded, smiling too. Soon they were off the dance floor and moving toward the exit. Once in an open space, she kissed him again, hard -

And apparated them outside her apartment door. Then she opened it, praying Trixie was at work... relief rushed through her when no one was home. Finally, she pulled Brandon back into her arms again, now in her living room, and dug her fingernails into his back just a little, "tell me where it hurts, Brandon, and I'll kiss it better," she promised, her voice still soft.

@brandon

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She lead him off the dance floor and out of the club and Brandon followed her, trying to force his thoughts to not go back to Rosie. She was gone. He needed to remind himself of that. She was gone and wasn't going to come back, just like Callisto. He needed to stop thinking about her. Once they were outside the club, Adonia kissed him and Brandon kissed her back, his soul relieved by the distraction it provided. 

Then they apparated and Brandon blinked, looking at his new surroundings in surprise. Where were they? Adonia opened a door and pulled him inside, into a room where she wrapped her arms around him, telling him she'd kiss his hurt away. He felt his eyes water from all the emotion welling in him. No. He shook his head and blinked away the unshed tears, hoping she didn't see them. He didn't answer her, dipping his head to crush his lips against hers. His throat was too strained for him to be able to talk right now. He was still breaking, despite the fact that his bones were healed now, but at the same time he was trying desperately to hold himself together and hoping Adonia could help.

@adonia